Podcasts about faith in jesus christ

An address given by Danny Ricks, BYU Idaho Religious Studies delivered September 30, 2025, at Ensig College.

Today's Promise: 1 John 5:13 The greatest promise of all is knowing you have eternal life. With all the advancements in technology and medicine, the mortality rate is still 100%. Every person will one day close their eyes for a final time and face eternity. For the Christian, there is no “hoping” for heaven. If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ for your salvation, you can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life. As a Christian, you can know you have eternal life because God has promised it in His word.

Our guest this week is Elaine Ray Clark. Born in England, and now living in Spain, Elaine shares her testimony of faith in Jesus Christ. After being in the Jehovah's Witnesses for more than two decades, she discusses how God brought her out and into a relationship with Him. If you'd like to hear extra content that Elaine and I have done in video, please become a patron at www.patreon.com/theburrosofbereaCheck out our website for more information at: www.burrosofberea.comCheck out today's sponsors!Halfback Mountain Soap: www.halfbackmountainsoap.comMy Secret Ingredient: www.mysecretblends.comThanks for listening!

Todaywe're looking at Ephesians chapter 2:1-9. In these first three verses, we findthat sin works against us. I believe you could summarize all nine of theseverses with Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God iseternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Yes, sin works against us, butmy friend, God works for us. And, “…If God be for us, who can be against us?”(Romans 8:31). God has great love. He's rich in His mercy! (v.4).  In verse five, we see He's made us alivetogether with Christ. And also in verse 6, He has raised us up to sit together withChrist in the heavenly places. He's exalted us in Christ.  Everything'sin Christ. I've underlined it in my notes, in Christ and throughChrist. It's all because of Jesus. The gift of God is eternal life throughJesus Christ our Lord. So, not only has He loved us, but He's also made usalive. He's exalted us. He keeps us, we see this in verses 7-9. Yes,God also keeps us. We believe the Scripture definitely teaches we have eternallife. And when we have eternal life in Christ Jesus, it's a life that willnever leave us. He is eternal. Because of that, His life lives within us. It'snot our life. We didn't save ourselves. We're not saved by works of our ownrighteousness, but according to His mercy, His grace, He saved us. Grace issomething we did not merit. We deserve death. And I love that verse in Romans5:8. “But God commended, He manifested His love toward us. And that while wewere yet sinners, Christ died for us”.  That'sthe riches of His grace in Christ Jesus. He died for us. The church at Ephesuswas a persecuted church. That's why Paul wrote chapter six of this letter tothe church there, reminding them that we don't wrestle with flesh and blood butwith principalities and powers”. Remember, as you read Acts 19, there waspersecution going on even as Paul was in process of leaving the city. And theysought to beat him and to destroy him and to kill him. And yet God protectedhim as he left the city with a great group of believers loving the Lord, livingfor Christ.  Jesuspromised His believers, "You will suffer persecution." He said,"They hated me, they'll hate you." Just because now the Christians inAmerica are facing ridicule and persecution and trials and we're seeing ithappen, we forget that was the norm of the church through the centuries. Matterof fact, in many countries today, we're finding that the persecuted church andthose who are dying for the name of Jesus Christ is the greatest it's ever beenin Christian history. We were just in Egypt and there we were with the CopticChristians in several locations, and we remember just a few years ago 21 ofthese believers had their heads cut off because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Myfriend, today God wants to encourage us. You might be lonely today. You mightbe tired today. You might be weary today. You might feel opposition today. Youmight not feel like trying to take another step as a believer and living forJesus today. You need to remember God works for you. He cares for you. He lovesyou. He has mercy and grace for you today. He will make you alive in Christ. Hehas exalted you and you should remember you're seated in the heavenly places inChrist. And our citizenship is not on earth. Philippians chapter 3, but it's inheaven with Him. We're just pilgrims passing through and oh, we have somethinggreat and awesome to look forward to.  Butwe can enjoy heaven on earth right now in Jesus Christ. And that's what Godwants us to know. We are not trying to work for our salvation. It's a donedeal. Jesus did the work already for us on the cross of Calvary. All we can dois receive. Oh, today make sure that you believe, you receive, you trust, andyou take these words to heart.  Godwants you to be encouraged today with these words, and I trust that you are,too.  Godbless!

We discuss concepts that Kathy Escobar brings to the table in a book called Faith Shift. Through this lens, we can view faith in God, as presented in the Scriptures, as something that shifts, grows, and shrinks. Considering that Christianity is based on our faith in Jesus Christ, it is worth every effort to understand the ins and outs of the role that faith plays in our lives. https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Shift-Finding-Forward-Everything-ebook/dp/B00JYWVYV4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=GT7ICDSUCA4K&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.l5N_bimg-ORd7e3OFK-4jAqtENAItAY7GdbsKSxh_czGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.rucSbe_mVfEXOFgJnIqcGmUcrP539potAVmkaIgTD5s&dib_tag=se&keywords=faith+shift+kathy+escobar&qid=1759195348&sprefix=faith+shift%2Caps%2C679&sr=8-1https://www.amazon.com/dp/1590525027/?bestFormat=true&k=ragamuffin%20gospel&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_k0_1_6_de&crid=2BA5VFLZS6BG7&sprefix=ragamuhttps://www.amazon.com/Down-We-Go-Living-Jesus/dp/0615467903/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1VKOH25TDUNG0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1jovurGNjF9RI_U4IOE1iCQtjNeRSdlF6J_lfq8JuJY.Sb4V6mIIPmjZQYsR0-TKp-LtGkQwznmioQysBDecCn4&dib_tag=se&keywords=down+we+go+kathy+escobar&qid=1759195438&sprefix=down+we+go+kathy+escobar%2Caps%2C275&sr=8-1

✨ In this episode, we look at the lives of four men—Chuck Swindoll Jr., Frank Schaeffer, Joshua Harris, and Bart Campolo—sons of prominent Christian leaders who each walked away from the faith of their fathers. Paired with the biblical example of Demas, their stories highlight a crucial truth: God has no grandchildren. Salvation requires personal conviction and new birth in Christ.

If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, you are a brand new person. The old ways of seeing yourself and others are over. Get to know the new you.


When a person becomes a Christian, there's a deep sense of relief; you're made right with God, forgiven of every sin, and promised heaven. That's absolutely amazing news for anyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ alone! But believing is just the beginning of God's plan for us. Too often people stop there, without realizing that God wants our believing to lead to becoming all He's designed us to be. In this series, From Believing to Becoming, we'll look at the simple yet life-changing practices that help us grow as followers of Jesus, guided by the Lakeshore purposes (5 G's) of Grace, Growth, Groups, Gifts, and Giving to God.

This sermon explores the final petition of the Lord's Prayer, focusing on the need for deliverance from evil through prayer and faith in Jesus Christ. Pastor Tom Messer emphasizes that evil comes both from internal temptations and external trials, and that true deliverance is found in understanding God's character and the significance of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. The sermon concludes by connecting this theme to the observance of the Lord's Supper, reinforcing the centrality of Jesus in overcoming evil and temptation.

After spending the first three chapters of Romans uncovering the bad news—that every one of us stands guilty before a holy God—Paul finally turns the corner to share the Good News: we can be made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ. In this message, Pastor Rich unpacks what it means to be justified by faith, explores powerful words like justification and propitiation, and reminds us that salvation isn't earned by our performance, but received through belief. When we understand that, pride falls away, unity is restored, and faith takes center stage.Whether you're churched, unchurched, religious, or brand new to faith, this passage reminds us that the ground is level at the foot of the cross—and Jesus alone gets the glory.

Pastor Chad digs deep into Romans 3 and reminds us of the weight of sin and the beauty of the gospel. ✨ Paul shows us that we all fall short—none of us are righteous on our own. Sin isn't just something we stumble into; it's what we naturally choose. But the good news is that God, in His justice, doesn't leave us there.

In Episode 181, we are giving you an annual dose of one of our favorite interviews of all time, going back to our conversation with Graham Daniels, Ph.D., Director of Cambridge United, Director of Christians in Sport, and former player for Cambridge United and Cardiff City. He talked with us about the “Pray, Play, Say” discipleship/leadership method, his personal why, his incredible testimony of how he came to his faith in Jesus Christ and how one pivotal moment changed the course of his life forever, the critical importance of a Christian identity in elite football, achieved vs. received identity, Service vs. Survival, humility, and a leader who he respects deeply. Specifically, Graham discusses: ·      His personal story, including how he grew his passion for football, coaching, ministry, and leadership, and how he got to be where he is today ·      An incredible story about how he came to his Christian faith, despite one of the “worst evangelists” of all time ·      His personal why/mission statement and how he is living it out ·      Achieved identity vs. Received identity - Identity formation and his Ph.D. thesis on the necessity of Christian identity in dealing with performance requirements of elite football ·      Three things that provide a framework for ministry in sports ·      Safe to serve, not scared and surviving ·      A defining moment in his life and how it impacted his development ·      A leader that sticks out above the rest to him (A Premier League Manager that may surprise you) ·      How he has used lessons learned from sports in his marriage and parenting ·      His recommendations Resources and Links from this Episode ·      Uncut Video of the Episode ·      HSEL Facebook Group ·      Warrior Way Soccer ·      Coaching the Bigger Game Program ·      Phil's email for DISC Training ·      Humility, by Andrew Murray ·      Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Send us a textIn this powerful episode of The Way of Valor, host Angie Taylor welcomes longtime friend and influencer Elizabeth Marcelena for a raw conversation about faith, boldness, and living authentically in a noisy digital world.Elizabeth shares how a tragic moment in the Christian community prompted her to take a courageous step—publicly aligning her platform with her faith in Jesus Christ. Together, Angie and Elizabeth unpack:The fears and risks of boldly proclaiming your faith online.How authenticity attracts the right audience and builds true influence.Why obedience often means sacrifice—and how God blesses it.The importance of modeling bold faith for the next generation.Leaving a legacy of courage, gratitude, and conviction for your children and beyond.The world after Charlie Kirk's assassination — how shock, grief, and uncertainty pushed Elizabeth to recognize the urgency of living and leading with faith.Elizabeth opens up about her personal journey from a difficult childhood to building a thriving lifestyle brand, homeschooling four kids, and navigating the balance of faith, family, and business. Her story is one of transformation, authenticity, and the call to use every platform to point people to Jesus.Whether you're a parent, entrepreneur, or believer seeking encouragement, this episode will challenge you to stand firm, live authentically, and leave a lasting legacy.Follow Elizabeth on Instagram: @elizabeth.MarcelenaConnect with Angie Taylor on:IG: https://www.instagram.com/mrsangietaylor/?hl=enFB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090424997350

All this week we're looking at David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock's book Faith for Exiles, and the five ministry practices churches and families must pursue to lead kids into life-long faith. The research done by Kinnaman and Matlock indicates that in order to form a lasting faith, we must work to create a church and family culture where rather than separating the generations, meaningful intergenerational relationships are formed with fellow believers who live and model a deep faith in Jesus Christ. Our culture is marked by isolation and mistrust between different generations. Some specific ways to make this happen include starting a mentoring program at your church where an older believer is paired with a young person. Our worship services should be inter-generational rather than generationally-segmented. And our homes should be places where our kids are exposed to older Christians as we practice hospitality. Endeavor to give your kids the gift of sitting under the wisdom of those who are older.

Be Graceful with the Ignorant (1) (audio) David Eells - 10/1/25 Giving grace to people rather than always correction should be our norm. Grace is unmerited favor, so no one deserves it. When we speak faith into people, they get grace: “for by grace have ye been saved through faith.” There is a place for condemnation but not in the life of one who truly wants to obey and be holy. These people need grace to do the works of God, but condemnation is contrary to faith and robs them of the very power of God they need to overcome. Brethren, I was once questioned by a dear sister as to why I dealt so gently with a brother who was in an apostate so-called “Christian” religion. My answer may help you know how to deal with someone who is caught up in a false doctrine yet appears to desire truth. Anyone can judge, but love is more acceptable to others and will build them up and help the one who lacks. Dear sister, I can assure you that few know as I do how evil that false religion is. I was thought to be a member of it until I was old enough to walk away. I assume my chat with the brother bothered you. Every time I talk with him, though, he learns more about the Scriptures and gets hungrier for the Word. If I had spoken against his religion immediately, his defenses would have gone up, and I would not be speaking to him at all. This is not God's way of grace. We must be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” as Jesus said in (Mat.10:16). Even a smoldering wick we should not put out (Isaiah 42:3; Matthew 12:20). Jesus confronted the self-righteous Pharisees directly without mercy, but He had mercy on the ignorant and erring who wanted truth. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: but now ye say, We see: your sin remaineth” (Joh.9:41) and, “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin” (Joh.15:22). This man was born again, but he is an infant and knows so little. He needs milk (Hebrews 5:13). Soon, I will be able to tell him clearly and he will be able to hear. Many people have made up their minds with comfortable ideas and don't change easily. If you tell them the big picture up front, they will close you out or leave you, or both. Jesus said, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now” (Joh.16:12). (Ecc.10:10) If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. I.e., A dull axe bounces out of hardwood, but if you sharpen it so that it enters by a very narrow front, the wood will receive it and then each successive blow can go deeper and deeper. (Ecc 10:11) If the serpent bite before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer. The serpent, or flesh, bites when the charmer is not graceful. We have to enable people to overcome their own flesh so they can receive the bigger picture. We have to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves (Mat.10:16). Paul called it as deceivers, and [yet] true” (2Co.6:8) because we are calming and deceiving their old flesh so that we can gracefully get truth into their spirit. (Ecc 10:12)  The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. We should follow God's advice for charming the serpent in them. (1Co.9:19) For though I was free from all [men,] I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. (20) And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; (21) to them that are without law, as without law, not being without law to God, but under law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without law. (22) To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak: I am become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. (23) And I do all things for the gospel's sake, that I may be a joint partaker thereof. Self-righteousness demands that we be strong to those who are weak and impulsive, but this same Paul shaved his head, took a vow and circumcised Timothy in order to be acceptable to the Jews so he could share the Gospel with them. However, all of these were things he preached against to the knowledgeable. He would have been a lousy charmer any other way. (Jas.3:17) But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy. (18) And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace. I hope you will understand, or at least not judge me in this. I wish we would permit as much difference in doctrine in our assemblies as God commands in Romans, in order that the young may grow up and that we may learn the ways of peace. (Rom.14:1) But him that is weak in faith receive ye, [yet] not for decision of scruples. In other words, not to argue with them, but to teach them with grace. (Rom.14:2) One man hath faith to eat all things: but he that is weak eateth herbs. (3) Let not him that eateth set at nought him that eateth not; and let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. (4) Who art thou that judgest the servant of another? to his own lord he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be made to stand; for the Lord hath power to make him stand. (5) One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day [alike]. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind. (I.e., let him obey his conscience until he has wisdom.) (6) He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord: and he that eateth, eateth unto the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, unto the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. (7) For none of us liveth to himself, and none dieth to himself. (8) For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. (9) For to this end Christ died and lived [again], that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. (10) But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? or thou again, why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of God. (11) For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, to me every knee shall bow, And every tongue shall confess to God. (12) So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Rom.14:13) Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge ye this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock in his brother's way, or an occasion of falling. (14) I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself: save that to him who accounteth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. (This makes room for the conscience and grace.) (15) For if because of meat thy brother is grieved, thou walkest no longer in love. Destroy not with thy meat him for whom Christ died. (16) Let not then your good be evil spoken of: (17) for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (18) For he that herein serveth Christ is well-pleasing to God, and approved of men. (19) So then let us follow after things which make for peace, and things whereby we may edify one another. (Let the peace of the Spirit reign in our words.) (20) Overthrow not for meat's sake the work of God. All things indeed are clean; howbeit it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. (21) It is good not to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor [to do anything] whereby thy brother stumbleth. (22) The faith which thou hast, have thou to thyself before God. Happy is he that judgeth not himself in that which he approveth. (23) But he that doubteth is condemned if he eat, because [he eateth] not of faith; and whatsoever is not of faith is sin. (15:1) Now we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (2) Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, unto edifying. (3) For Christ also pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell upon me. The little brother or sister should be able to fellowship in peace with the elder brother or sister long enough to grow up in the knowledge of God. In these days, many who consider themselves mature in doctrine do not permit those weak in the faith into their fellowship. Give God time to reveal Himself to them. Take them under your wing and be patient with them. The self-righteous and proud do not permit differences of opinion. We need to remember that we did not get where we are, or learn what we learned, overnight. We are not talking about immorality or heresy here. That has to be dealt with as Paul taught. (1Co.5:11) But as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat. Yours in Christ, David P.S. The brother spoken of above is now delivered and Spirit-filled. Glory to God! We all need to remember to accept those whom God accepts. Our hearts should really be burdened for those people around us who just can't seem to get ahold of any faith. They want to please God, but they really can't get ahold of any faith because they have spirits of rejection and religion so anything in their heart is condemnation. They've never been accepted, so they don't feel the acceptance of God either. These people need faith in their hearts, and people around them need to put that faith in their hearts. Often they don't need correction for they know what their problems are. I come from a background of overcorrection, so I know how it tends to make a person feel rejected and hopeless about the future because it takes away every bit of faith. What we have to know and understand is that “the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation” (Rom.1:16).  The Gospel is the good news. When we preach the good news that Jesus has set us free and delivered us to people who are coming from a background of rejection, that's the only thing they need. They don't need more correction or condemnation; they need acceptance. Think of all these Christians who cannot get ahold of faith to get delivered, yet faith is all they need. Nobody has any need but faith. I like what televangelist Robert W. Schambach used to say: “You don't have any problems; all you need is faith in God.” That's so true! It has all been accomplished in Jesus and “the works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Heb.4:3). The only thing that remains is for us to enter into those works through faith and enter into His rest through faith. So people need faith and God knows this. I think one of the devil's largest armies is an army of spirits of rejection, because that's one of the most common spirits around. And maybe I think that because I came from that background and I see it a lot in others. It seems to be such an easy way for the devil to sidetrack people. I think that's why God designed the New Covenant to be the covenant of grace, the covenant of “no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus” (Rom.8:1). We have to learn to accept people with all their problems and all their imperfections the same way that God accepts us in grace. One of our biggest problems is that we need to accept whom God accepts, and when we don't do that, we are judging and having unforgiveness. People who have received rejection have only one need in their life – faith – but what they have instead is condemnation, and you can't have them both at the same time. You have to drop condemnation to grasp faith. You can put that faith in a person by pumping the Word of God into their heart and changing their direction from looking inward to looking outward and upward. Everyone with that problem is always looking inward at what their failure has been and always will be, in their mind. All they can see is their failure and inability, even though pride will not admit it. But since it was God Who designed us and put “this treasure in earthen vessels,” He knows that we are unable and that's part of His plan. We need to be unable; otherwise it's not by grace, it's by works. Part of God's plan is that He put this great “treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves” (2Co.4:7). We need to know that we can't do it. Those people who are under the Law, and looking inward and seeing their failure, are thinking, “I just can't do it!” Well, that's great to know that you can't do it, but if you condemn yourself because you can't do it, then that proves that you're under the Law. When you're condemning “self” because you can't do it, you are proving that you have your eyes looking inward instead of upward. We must keep our eyes on the Lord and what He's done. (Rom.8:31) What then shall we say to these things? If God [is] for us, who [is] against us? (32) He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? There isn't anything God won't give us to supply our needs. If He would give us Jesus, the most precious, valuable, and sacrificial gift He had to give, surely He wouldn't deny us anything else. Anything else would be insignificant; it would be like the ribbon on the box. If you're giving a great and precious gift to somebody, you're not going to begrudge the ribbon or anything else. God has given us and will give us anything, but He does demand one thing: He demands faith. So instead of rejecting someone because we're looking at the problem or person, we need to learn to put faith in them. Its for whosoever will. (Rom.1:16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation (Greek: soteria) to everyone that believeth … The Gospel is the “power of God.” The Gospel is the good news, and we need to put that good news in people. They need to hear, “Listen, Jesus set you free” (Romans 6:22). He has made us free from sin; it is already passed and done (Romans 6). I know this can be a hard thing for a person to believe after hearing so much criticism and rejection, even by church and “religious” people who don't know how to put grace into others. All we need is grace, God's favor, and it's hard to receive grace without faith, and it's hard to receive faith if you have condemnation or rejection in your heart. (Rom.8:33) Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth; (34) who is he that condemneth? Woe be unto the person who rejects the person whom God accepts! Judgment is upon those who reject people whom God accepts. God wants to put faith in people's hearts, but when we look at their problems, situations and failures, and then get them to look only at those things, rather than at the Savior and His salvation, we steal from them the faith God wants them to have. And many are so prone to do that as religious people! Most people already know where they're going wrong; they just don't know how to get free and go on. The only way for a Christian to get free is to have faith; otherwise, you wouldn't need God because you could save yourself. But He will not permit you to get free and prosper on your own; it is going to be grace through faith in the promises, or it's going to be nothing. We all need to learn how to get grace into people's hearts by speaking grace to them and pumping them full of faith. (Rom.8:33) Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth; (34) who is he that condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. That verse reminds me of where the angels were asking, “Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?” (Rev.5:2) Who has overcome to open up the seals? It asks, “Who?” And the answer is the Lamb has overcome to open up the seals (Revelation 5:5). They were weeping there because nobody had overcome to open up the seals of judgment and that's true. Nobody has overcome sin to the extent that they can judge without the anointing and wisdom of God. If we step out ahead of God and judge by our own sight and wisdom, we are doing something that only the Lamb has been given authority to do. He loosed the seals of judgment upon the earth; Jesus was the Lamb Who overcame. The Bible says to be ready “to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full” (2Co.10:6), but we are quick to correct. Our obedience may not be full, but we're quick to correct and point out, “Here is your problem,” to people who just can't get up off the ground and cannot find faith. We even wonder why they can't find faith and yet we don't speak that faith into them. (Rom.8:35) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (36) Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. (37) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, (39) nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And that's even with all of our failures and shortcomings. All of us come from different backgrounds, and we all have our own shortcomings and faults. It's very easy for us to see one another's shortcomings and to keep pointing them out, even though they've probably been pointed out to those people from birth (Luke 6:41-42). It's the good news that we need to be preaching more of: “Jesus has set you free.” He bore the curse for us (Galatians 3:13) and set us free at Calvary from everything and we need to accept that. Let me tell you about a guy I knew who had a problem with alcohol and was really condemning himself because he just didn't have the willpower to stay away from the stuff. I told him if it were up to willpower, there wouldn't be any salvation, especially for a Christian. If you could do it with your own willpower, you wouldn't need Jesus and you wouldn't be learning about grace. But he was one of those introverts who was always looking at himself, instead of looking at what Jesus had already done and rejoicing in the salvation Jesus gave him. Many people are like that, and if one can't find faith, that's generally the reason. They are not looking in the right direction; their eye is not single (Matthew 6:22). You're either looking at yourself and your ability, or you're looking at your inability. (Rom.3:28) We reckon therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. You know what that says to me? God justifies us and accepts us as righteous before we are perfect, and it has to be before we are perfect. No matter how you see that, it has to be apart from the works of the Law. (Rom.4:1) What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, hath found according to the flesh? (2) For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward God. See, when you're condemning yourself, it's because you're expecting yourself to do better, and that's not where success comes from. If you, or any of us, could do better by our own willpower, then we would be justified by our own works. We would be able to glory before the Lord, and that's not possible. (Rom.4:3) For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. That's our job, to put that belief in people to believe God and be counted as righteous. Abraham believed God before he saw the answer, and everybody needs to believe God before they see the answer. We need to believe God for deliverance before we get delivered from our faults. That's the Gospel and that's what faith is; it's calling “the things that are not, as though they were” (Rom.4:17). (Rom.4:3) For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. (4) Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. (5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly (that's you and me), his faith is reckoned for righteousness. Now that's God's acceptance and we have to accept whom God accepts. If we don't accept them, then without even knowing it, we'll be speaking the wrong things to those people. We're going to be hurting them and we'll be separating them from God. (Rom.8:1) There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. That is, those who believe in His salvation. (Rom.4:5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. (6) Even as David also pronounceth blessing upon the man, unto whom God reckoneth righteousness apart from works, (7) [saying,] Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. (8) Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin. (9) Is this blessing then pronounced upon the circumcision, or upon the uncircumcision also? Stop and think about what circumcision is: it's a cutting away of the flesh. It's a symbol of our deliverance from the bondage of the flesh because it is a cutting away of the foreskin of the flesh. It symbolizes putting to death the flesh that you've been sowing. When you cut off the foreskin, it is a changing of the way you sow; you are not sowing the flesh anymore. The only way that we are going to reap the blessings of God is if we change the way we sow. Notice what Paul says: “Is this blessing then pronounced upon the circumcision, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say, To Abraham his faith was reckoned for righteousness” (Rom.4:9). (10) How then was it reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? When did God call Abraham righteous? It was before Abraham received the sign of the Covenant, circumcision, which is a type of our deliverance from our old carnal nature. You say, “Well, circumcision is baptism,” and that's true. Paul said in Colossians that circumcision is a type of baptism. (Col.2:11) In whom ye were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ; (12) having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. Baptism is putting to death the fleshly old man and the resurrection of the new man, “Christ in you.” That's what it's all about – an act of faith whereby we are being united with Christ in death, burial and resurrection. And when we come up out of that water, we say, “I'm a new man. It is Christ Who lives in me; the old man died.” So we reckon it by faith, but the baptism has to be manifested in our life as we are continually dying and letting Christ come to life in us, day by day. Paul said, “I die daily” (1Co.15:31). He brought to life his baptism daily; it was a manifestation coming to pass in his life. If baptism is not manifested in our lives, then that act of faith has no works. The washing of the water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26) is putting to death our old man and the new man is coming up continuously. But even before that manifestation, when does God count you righteous? You are reckoned righteous even before circumcision is manifested in your life; in other words, before you are sanctified and holy; delivered completely unto the Lord. How then was it reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision (Rom.4:10) before he had manifested this righteousness toward the Lord. God called him righteous for one reason – faith. And that's the way we have to see those who are running after the Lord, even with all their failures. A person's failures don't make any difference. (Rom.4:11) And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might be reckoned unto them. 2Co.5:17 Wherefore if any man is in Christ (by faith), he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. (I.e. we reckon it accomplished.) 18 But all things are of God, who reconciled (Greek meaning of this word is “exchanged.” He exchanged His righteous life for our fallen life. He reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation; (I.e. We preach faith that “we don't live anymore; Christ lives in us.”) 19 to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, (When we, or others we preach to, walk in repentance and faith, our sins and their sins are not reckoned.) and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (I.e. We preach faith that others might receive the exchange of Christ's life for their life.) 20 We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God. 2Co.5:21 Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. In Genesis 15, there are several signs of the Covenant that are manifested. For instance, there is the blood covenant that God made with Abraham. Another example is when God promised Abraham that his seed would be as the stars, a multitude (Genesis 15:5). So God made a covenant with Abraham. In fact, at this time he was called “Abram” and not “Abraham.” This covenant was before he had a name change. A name change symbolizes a change of nature, character and authority. The Hebrew word for “name” is shem, which means “nature, character and authority.” The same as the New Testament's Greek word for “name,” which is onoma. This is a type for us because we're getting a name change, too. Our nature, character and authority are being changed as we are reconciled and become sanctified through our walk of faith in Jesus Christ. “Ah” in Hebrew means “the brother of.” When it was added to Abram's name to make it “Abraham,” it changed his name to mean “the father of a multitude” (Genesis 17:5). So before he could become “the father of a multitude,” or before he could become somebody who would sow the seed and bring forth a multitude, he had to have a name change. And that's what we want to do. We want to sow a seed to bring people out of this world. We want to have spiritual children in this world. But before we can be the “father of a multitude,” we have to be “the brother of” the Lord; we have to come into unity with the Lord by taking His name. As a matter of fact, did you know that “ah” is also a part of the Lord's name, “YHWH”? Translators added the “ah” to make “Jehovah.” A lot of Hebrew names have “ah” in them, and originally that was the taking on of the Lord's name. At any rate, before Abraham's name change, God said to him, “Take me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon” (Gen.15:9). (10) And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other: but the birds divided he not. The animals were cut in half, which was the way they made the blood covenant. Then the two people making the covenant would walk between the halved animals. But God showed that Abraham would not fulfill his half of the normal covenant when He put Abraham to sleep. (Gen.15:12) And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. I've thought about this, as that's your revelation of your sinful state when you come to know God; it's “a horror of great darkness.” You get a revelation, “Hey, I'm undone!” And there's not a thing you can do about it. (Gen.15:13) And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years. As a type, this was the Israelites when they were in bondage to the world, to Egypt. It was before they were baptized in the Red Sea and went to the Promised Land, so it was a type of them when they were lost and in degeneration. (Gen.15:14) And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. (15) But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. So God put Abraham to sleep and the only thing that passed between the sacrificial halves was the smoking furnace and the flaming torch (Genesis 15:17), which represents the Lord burning up the wood, hay, and stubble of the old life. This means that Abraham could not fulfill his part of the covenant, that there were no works he could add to bring about the blood covenant of our cleansing. And here's another example, again from before Abraham was circumcised and from before he had his name changed: (Gen.17:10) This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall be circumcised. (11) And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt me and you. And then He calls it my covenant shall be in your flesh (13). So, before Abraham fulfilled righteousness in putting to death his flesh, in the cutting away of his flesh, God called him righteous. And the Lord calls us righteous, not because of where we have attained to in the Lord, but because of election (Romans 9). It's simply just because God has chosen us; He sees the end before the beginning (Isaiah 41:4) and He calls us righteous. And that's the way He wants us to look at other people. He wants us to say, “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Php.1:6). Just as Paul said, “It is right for me to be thus minded on behalf of you” (7). In other words, “It is right for me to be thus minded on your behalf that He who started a good work in you will perfect it, will finish it.” It's right for us to be minded that way toward the imperfections that we see in one another. It's to look past them and not to reject or criticize but to say, “God's going to finish the work.” We just saw that before Abraham was circumcised, God had accepted him. Here's another good example: (Rom.9:9) For this is a word of promise, According to this season will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. (10) And not only so; but Rebecca also having conceived by one, [even] by our father Isaac — (11) for [the children] being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, (12) it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. (13) Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. So it was according to election that God accepted Jacob and rejected Esau. When we see the calling of God in a person's life, aside from all their failures and foolishness, God has accepted them. We need to accept them, too, and not be so quick to try to do what is God's work to straighten them out. First of all, we accept them, and then God's work through us is to put faith into their lives because that's the good news of the cross of Christ. It's the good news that He bore their sins on that cross, and they need to realize that. Now let me share this testimony of grace and faith called:   Ministry of Reconciliation E. D. - 04/03/2008 My wife, was infected with the Brownsville and Toronto spirits as a result of attending one of their meetings. Our relationship began to deteriorate as she lost respect for the Word. We separated for what I originally blamed solely on these manifested spirits in her. But the Lord has impressed upon me in the midst of this trial that there is a better way of reconciliation. And as a Christian, it is my duty to be a minister of reconciliation. And I not only abrogated my responsibility to minister to my wife, but I was a purveyor of the bad report by confessing to brethren my desire to leave my wife as a result of the manifesting spirits. I was so effective in speaking anti-faith to my friends that they may feel the need to argue with me concerning her and me reconciling our relationship. Since she was still my wife, I took authority over those Brownsville spirits and according to scripture, commanded those spirits to loose my wife in the name of Jesus Christ. The spirits did leave. She went back to school and got a job. She did not exhibit the signs of the Brownsville spirits, and she requested reconciliation with me on a couple of occasions. The Lord has recently revealed to me that He loves reconciliation, and we should also. Though she tried to reconcile with me, I kept her at arm's length due to mistrust and weighing her spiritual growth according to my standards, rather than the righteous standards in which our Father weighs my spiritual growth. He sees the end from the beginning. As her husband, I denied her the patience, grace and mercy my Father in heaven granted me. It is no surprise that she recently confessed to me that I make her feel she can never reach my expectations. This is when the Lord impressed upon me that I needed to repent of the way I viewed our marriage. I first had to reconcile my mind of how our Father viewed our marriage and see her from an entirely different perspective. I was not walking by faith but walking by sight. As a result, I was judging her. I was denying our Father the opportunity to work His perfect will in our relationship by putting the onus on her and not on my faith in our Father's Word. Eph.5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it. Our Father reminded me of His long suffering, quickness to forgive and forget. If He can do that for me through Jesus Christ, then who am I not to do the same regarding my wife? I failed to see my wife for what she will be by faith but saw her as she was. Heb.11:1 Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. I compared myself to how Christ deals with me and found myself lacking. 1Cor.7:10 But unto the married I give charge, yea not I, but the Lord, That the wife depart not from her husband 11 (but should she depart, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband); and that the husband leave not his wife. She felt rejected by me, which was perfectly understandable. Instead of speaking faith I made the gulf wider, pushing her into the arms of another man. But the Lord heard my prayers concerning the other man that he should be removed immediately, and this happened in such a way that both her and I knew it was from the Lord. That is when we began talking to each other and confessing our faults. She confessed she didn't even want to be with that man but felt desperate and unloved. I confessed I was not doing right by her because I was not speaking faith. I was more intent on pointing out her past faults than in realizing the love Jesus Christ displayed for us through His victory at the cross. I didn't realize I was doing this. When I repented and changed the way I conversed with her, I began to see a great change over time in her. She not only became far more receptive to me but to the Word also. She is now like a flower blossoming in the desert. When I speak to any brethren who are going through a similar trial, I tell them, remember, we are to love our spouses as Jesus Christ loved the church. Because that is what their troubled spouse needs. They need to see the love of Christ in us. All it took on my part was to obey the Word of God and lay down myself so she could see true forgiveness and grace. Now I know reconciliation is the Lord's best way. Seeing that we are ministers of reconciliation, I now see my marriage as a part of this ministry. So remember, brethren, speak the end from the beginning for your spouse and speak of things that are not as though they are, because we have the authority in Christ to do this. And my prayer is that our Father restores the spiritual house of all my brethren in similar trials and situations. Amen.

God's Righteousness Rejected at Present: The Reason, the Remedy, and the Result As Paul continues to defend God's righteousness in election, in Romans 9:30-10:21 he zeroes in on the human responsibility to respond to God's offer of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Believing in Jesus and confessing him as Lord are essential for salvation. We have a present responsibility to respond to God's offer of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. While God's election is sovereign, He also calls people to put their faith in Christ for salvation. We also see the importance of praying (10:1) and sharing the gospel: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

The sermon emphasizes the necessity of relying on grace through faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, rather than attempting to earn it through works, drawing parallels to the selection of a valuable player in baseball. It warns of the consequences of rejecting Christ, including judgment and eternal punishment in hell, while highlighting the importance of confessing Jesus as the Son of God and believing in his sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and restoration to fellowship with God. Ultimately, the message underscores God's enduring love as the motivation for offering salvation and encourages listeners to embrace Christ as their Lord and Savior.

When it comes to this issue of salvation and a new start and a transformation by grace; it is almost as if God gives us an instanstaneous zap when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. In fact Ephesians chapter 2 tells us the very moment we reach out to God in faith; that very moment grace transforms us. Our eternity is changed and life becomes new because we experience the very life of Jesus Christ. Grace can change anything! To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1170/29

Pastor Scott's message emphasizes the transformative power of trading personal burdens and sins for the freedom and righteousness offered through faith in Jesus Christ, as prophesied in Isaiah. He encourages us to embrace a life of hope and righteousness by making this spiritual exchange, highlighting that everyone's life is meant to glorify God and point others to Jesus.

Ephesians 6:1414 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousnessRomans 3:20-2620 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Key Scriptures •Ephesians 2:8–9 (NIV)“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”→ This is the cornerstone text showing salvation is grace-based, not works-based. •Romans 3:23–24“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”→ No one measures up by deeds; justification is by grace. •Titus 3:4–5“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”→ Our salvation rests in His mercy, not our moral report card. •John 3:16–17“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”→ Eternal life is a matter of faith in Christ, not tallying deeds. •Galatians 2:16“…a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”→ Works of law cannot save—faith alone in Christ justifies.Follow Jessicas YouTube:https://youtube.com/ ⁨@OperationPTC⁩  Follow my Patreonhttps://patreon.com/mikeglover

President Russell M. Nelson, Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Sept. 27, at the age of 101.  As the world mourns this loss, the Church News podcast dedicates this special memorial episode to his leadership, teachings, revelations and kindness. This podcast features just a small sample of his words from general conference talks, devotionals and more.  President Nelson will be forever known as a man of science and faith. During his tenure as President of the Church, he reinforced the correct name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; implemented a home-centered, Church-supported curriculum with the introduction of the “Come, Follow Me” study program just in time to guide the Church through the COVID-19 pandemic; announced the building and renovation of scores of temples around the world; encouraged peacemaking; and continually invited individuals to reinforce their own faith in Jesus Christ, the Restoration of the gospel and commitment to the covenant path.  We commemorate the lasting legacy of this prophet, seer and revelator, with Sarah Jane Weaver, Deseret News editor and Church News executive editor, as guest host for this special episode.  The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Hosts Jon Ryan Jensen, editor of the Church News, and Church News reporter Mary Richards share unique views of the stories, events, and people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

When a person becomes a Christian, there's a deep sense of relief; you're made right with God, forgiven of every sin, and promised heaven. That's absolutely amazing news for anyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ alone! But believing is just the beginning of God's plan for us. Too often people stop there, without realizing that God wants our believing to lead to becoming all He's designed us to be. In this series, From Believing to Becoming, we'll look at the simple yet life-changing practices that help us grow as followers of Jesus, guided by the Lakeshore purposes (5 G's) of Grace, Growth, Groups, Gifts, and Giving to God.

Baptism is a profound act of faith that represents a transformation in a believer's life. It serves as a public confession of faith in Jesus Christ, an act of obedience to His commands, and connects us spiritually to Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Additionally, baptism functions as a spiritual marker that believers can look back on during times of doubt or temptation. Just as Jesus Himself was baptized to fulfill righteousness, Christians are called to follow His example, making baptism not merely a symbolic ritual but a powerful declaration of commitment to Christ and a new way of life. At the end, we have 6 Baptisms as well. 

David Forsyth addresses the real dangers associated with growing up Christian in a believing home. While tremendous blessings accompany a Christian upbringing, children growing up in a Christian environment face the peril of mistaking conformity for genuine conversion. The sermon explores Romans 2:1-29, revealing three critical dangers for those growing up Christian: external morality without heart transformation, Bible knowledge that remains intellectual rather than life-changing, and religious ritual divorced from spiritual reality.Growing up Christian does not guarantee salvation, as Paul's indictment of first-century Jews demonstrates that morality, religious knowledge, and ritual observance are insufficient for right standing before God. Children growing up Christian may appear squeaky clean externally while remaining spiritually dead inside. The message emphasizes that growing up Christian requires more than external conformity—it demands genuine faith in Christ that transforms the heart. Just as Jewish people relied erroneously on their heritage and rituals, children growing up Christian risk trusting in their moral behavior, biblical literacy, and church participation rather than embracing Christ personally.The sermon concludes with a passionate call for those growing up in the Christian faith to move beyond externals and embrace the righteousness that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. ★ Support this podcast ★

Faith for the Coming Wilderness (7) (audio) David Eells – 9/28/25 Father, we ask You in Jesus' name that Your power, Your anointing, Your wisdom be in this study, and not only that, Lord, we ask that You would bless the people who are reading and hearing this will have eyes to see and ears to hear. We ask that You would bless them and that Your anointing will go into their heart, that the Word and the truth will go into their heart to put the courage of the Lord in them. We thank You, Father for this opportunity to share with the brethren, and we thank You so much for blessing all who are studying with us, in Jesus' name. I'm going to continue with our study on faith for the coming wilderness, and I want to share with you how you can prepare yourself for this wilderness. Let's start in (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. The text here is about going to Zion, going to the City of God, and becoming a member of the “just men made perfect.” (25) See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned [them] on earth, much more [shall not] we [escape] who turn away from him that [warneth] from heaven. Some people think they're going into a great escape. They think they're going in the rapture, but obviously, the escape here is not talking about their kind of escape. You see, they're refusing the warning of God and they are not getting prepared. I learned a long time ago that whether you go or whether you stay, you have to do the same thing: you have to prepare. Even if your theology is wrong, if you're walking in the steps of Jesus Christ, then you'll be ready for what is coming because God has prepared tribulation for His people. Tribulation is coming upon the whole world, people. We have to be careful to accept His warning from Heaven. He is going to shake this world. Even right now, as a matter of fact, we are in a pre-tribulation shaking that God is going to use to bring in the New World Order. Some people insist that God doesn't have anything to do with that, but He does. He is the One Who is uniting the whole world against apostate Christianity, just as He has always done throughout all the Scriptures. Every time God raised up a new world order, it was to persecute His people who had fallen into apostasy. We know this is so because (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. God just repeats history and He always takes the credit for it. (Ecc.3:15) That which is hath been long ago; and that which is to be hath long ago been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away. In Isaiah, the Lord takes credit for raising up the Assyrian Empire against His people. (Isa.10:5) Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine indignation! (6) I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (7) Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few. The Lord put it in their hearts to come against His people and plunder them. Today, since His people are worldwide and not just little, natural Israel, God is raising up a worldwide Beast to come against His people. It's God, saints! God is behind all of it! (Eph.1:11) In whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will. God works all things after the counsel of His Own will, and “all things” doesn't leave out much, does it? Just because He uses vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor, some people like to give credit to the vessels of dishonor, but no, it's the Lord; it's all the Lord. He's working all things together for our good. (Rom.8:28) And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, [even] to them that are called according to [his] purpose. And what does He say here in the rest of this text? (Heb.12:26) Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven. (27) And this [word,] Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. Listen to me, God is going to shake everything so that only His Kingdom remains. The reason for the shaking is to break all of the strength of man, to break all of the power of man's ability to save himself. Do you know why so many people are going to run to the Lord in these days? It's because they've always depended upon their own power in the past, but God is going to take away the ability of people to save themselves. I've mentioned some of the judgments that have already come to the Gulf Coast of America. Hurricane Katrina in 2005, for example, flooded New Orleans and killed over 1,800 people but it also knocked out about 80% of the oil production, which really hurt the trucking industry and the farmers. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 and its use of Corexit oil dispersant was a great catastrophe that poisoned the Gulf and destroyed the fishing industry, but we're just seeing the beginning of these things. It's going to get a lot worse. Places in this country that never see hurricanes have seen hurricanes, but some of those that don't see hurricanes are going to see earthquakes. There are going to be nuclear attacks, there are going to be biological attacks. It will come to the point where there won't be jobs, there won't be gasoline. It will come to the point where the water is poisoned, and the air is poisoned. It will come to the point where there's nothing that man can do to save you, and you won't be able to do anything in the flesh to save yourself. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken so that men will turn to the only Savior because it is in our weakness that God's power will be made manifest. (2Co.12:9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. His power is made perfect in our weakness. (Heb.12:28) Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: (29) for our God is a consuming fire. So, not only is He shaking the earth, He's burning up the wood, hay and stubble of our lives. He's a consuming fire. Back when I was a very young Christian, my wife had a dream in which she saw me standing on a rock in the middle of a vast ocean, and it seemed that this was the only thing that was above the water. I was standing on this rock with leg braces on, like those a polio victim would have. At that time, I didn't know much about the ways and the work of the Lord, but the Lord really spoke to me through that dream. He showed me that the waters represented the curse of the Word on this world, just like the flood waters in the time of Noah represented the curse of the Word upon the world. The flood waters were the curse of the Word upon the wicked who had disobeyed God's Word, but at the same time, the waters were salvation to Noah and those who were in the ark floating above. God said through Moses, (Deu.11:26) Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: (27) the blessing, if ye shall hearken unto the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day; (28) and the curse, if ye shall not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. The Word of God is a blessing to those who are humble and submitted to it; it's a blessing to those who are walking in it, but it's a curse to those who rebel against it. And the curse is coming to take away everything that God's people have depended upon other than Him. He's a jealous God (Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 6:15; Joshua 24:19; etc.) He wants to be our only Savior, which is why He's bringing us to a place of great weakness. Being weak to save ourselves is a part of God's salvation; it's not just faith. (Php.4:13) I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me. We can do all things through Christ; He's the One Who strengthens us. The problem is that we're used to working things out ourselves, rather than trusting in the Lord. We're used to working things out ourselves, rather than putting our faith in Him and resting in Him to bring it to pass. We, ourselves, are the biggest hindrance to receiving the benefits of God. This shaking that's coming is for the purpose of judging all the “gods of Egypt,” as God said about His people who were in bondage in Egypt, in bondage to the old man. (Exo.12:12) For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. That represents Christians today and their gods, which are the things and demons they serve and God wants to rid them of in their wilderness experience. Christians today have been in bondage in Egypt. They've been in bondage to the old man, the Egyptian. The old man was the one who died in the baptism of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:4; Acts 7:36; Psalm 106:9; etc.) and the new man, the Israelite, is the one who came up on the other side. (Hebrews 11:29; Nehemiah 9:9-10; etc.). Well, the Lord brought those judgments upon Egypt to set the Israelites free from bondage to their worldly lusts. You realize that this is now us. That's the people of God. We've been in bondage in Egypt but now we're coming to our wilderness and the wilderness, of course, is the Tribulation (Revelation 12 and 17). We're coming to the same point in time as Israel when they were about to start their wilderness, and I was given a revelation about those braces I was wearing in my wife's dream. I learned they represented an external strength that was going to come to me, a strength from God that would enable me to stand on the Rock of Jesus Christ when the curse is everywhere around us. You know this is what God's going to do. (Zec.4:6) Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel (meaning: born from Babylon), saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. This is what God's going to do for a people who cannot save themselves, who cannot provide for themselves, in a wilderness experience. God Almighty is going to do it. He is going to be our strength. When our strength is worn out, He's going to be there. And He is a consuming fire. He's going to burn up all the wood, hay, and stubble through the Tribulation that we're going through, until only the gold, silver, and precious stones will be left of those who are truly His elect. (1Co.3:10) According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. But let each man take heed how he buildeth thereon. (11) For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (12) But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble (the last three, which burns in the fiery trial, leaving only what is valuable in the Kingdom.); (13) each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is. (14) If any man's work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. (15) If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire. Many years ago, I used to work for the Exxon Refinery in Baton Rouge, and one day, I got a little revelation, and I'm going to share it with you: it's pretty neat. When I was a machinist, I worked on a lot of pumps, drivers, turbines, jet engines, and things like that. It was interesting to me because I was a very mechanically minded person. Now, a pump is basically a shaft that goes through a housing, and inside the housing there are impellers to pump the fluid, but the fluid needs to be sealed somehow to keep it from coming down the shaft and out of the pump. Well, usually it's a seal, but sometimes it's what we called “packing.” Packing is something that's kind of like rope with different substances mixed in with it and we would pack that rope around the hole. Then we would use a gland with bolts to pull the packing up in there to seal between the shaft and the housing of the pump. So, anyway, the shaft might be turning at 3,600 rpms or 3,700 rpms, or even more, in some cases. The shaft is running very, very fast, and depending upon the size of the shaft, there's a lot of friction there, but no matter what kind of packing we would use, if we tightened up the gland too tight to try to seal off the leak, the friction would cause that packing to get very, very hot. In some cases, it would smoke, and in some cases, it would even catch on fire. You had to loose the packing just enough to have the right amount of fluid come through there so that it wouldn't leak out, but at the same time would lubricate the packing. It was a ticklish situation because, if the packing got a little old, sometimes you couldn't tighten up on it at all. It would smoke and leak. We continually had a problem come up where a pump that had been running for a while, and we had to try to tighten the packing up, and it would start smoking, but if you didn't tighten it up, it would leak, so it was kind of a catch-22 situation. Finally, we had a salesman come by who brought some packing that they called Graphoil, and I tried it one day in a pump that was very ticklish. It didn't matter what kind of packing you put in there; if you tightened it up very much, the packing we had would just start smoking because it was a hydrocarbon. And if it got hot enough, it would catch it on fire; the fire would literally be coming out of the hole of the shaft of the packing. So we bought this new product, this graphoil, and I was going to test it for them. I shoved that stuff up in there, and I tightened down on it, and I found I didn't have to tighten down on it very much until it sealed off the leak. The salesman said, “Well, tighten down on it some more.” I said, “I don't want it to catch on fire and burn up.” But he insisted, “No, don't worry about that and just tighten down on it some more,” so I did. I tightened down on it some more, and I told him, “Man, this is pretty good stuff. It doesn't catch on fire.” And he said to me, “Tighten down on it some more.” So, again, I tightened down on it, and nothing was leaking out, but it still wasn't smoking or catching on fire. I asked, “What's the deal here? How come it doesn't burn?” And do you know what he answered me? He said, “It doesn't burn because it's already burned; it's totally burned. It's all graphite; there's no rope in there. It's all totally burned graphite, so it can't burn because it's already totally burned when you put it in there.” Do you remember when they burned up all the diseased cattle over there in England during the Mad Cow Disease outbreak? They did that because that was the only way to destroy the prions that caused the disease. A fire purifies any contaminant, and what's left can't really be destroyed; it's already burned, it can't be burned anymore. It was as if that salesman was comparing our God to being a consuming fire. Ashes are pure, and that's the revelation! We're going into the fire, saints, to be purified, so that this world can't touch us and so that we won't ultimately go in the big fire. By His grace and by His power, God is going to make us able to go through this consuming fire until there's nothing that the world can do to us, until there's nothing but His fruit and His life in us. Hallelujah!! Paul called it a “baptism” when the Israelites went through the Red Sea and into the wilderness. (1Co.10:1) For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; (2) and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Do you know what we're doing in our baptism? We're celebrating the victory of the death of the old man because he died at the cross, just like the Israelites celebrated the victory when the old man was put to death at the Red Sea. (Exo.15:1) Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The “horse and his rider” represented the old man who was coming after them to bring them back into bondage. The horse was the beast, the flesh that had been harnessed to serve the old man, and this is what went down in the Red Sea. I'm not talking about the body; I'm talking about the appetites of the natural man to serve the mind of the flesh. The rider and the strength of the flesh that was harnessed to serve that rider, who was the old man, died in the Red Sea, died in the baptism, and they were celebrating the victory. It's the same thing we do at baptism: (Rom.6:11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. We reckon ourselves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God, or in other words, we reckon that the old man can no longer do us harm and we continue to walk by faith in that. Many people believe the devil, or they believe the old man, or they believe the world, and by doing that, they give authority to the old man to bring them back into bondage. You need to believe what the Bible says: (Rom.6:1) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? (2) God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein? (3) Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (4) We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have become united with [him] in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of his resurrection; (6) knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [him,] that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; (7) for he that hath died is justified from sin. (We reckon that old man to be like the graphoil packing; he is already burned up; there is nothing left for the big fire at the end.  The valuable stuff left doesn't burn. We consider the old man to be dead and the new man to be alive. If you walk in that faith, you'll find you have power when you are in the trials and tribulations of life, and the old flesh wants to take over. You'll have power when the devil tells you that you don't have authority. You'll have power when the devil tells you that you don't have more power than him. You'll have power when the devil tells you that he's the giant in the land and you can't overcome him. By faith, if you will celebrate the victory that you were given when you became united with Christ in the likeness of His death, you'll find that you have power over the old man. The Israelites always kept forgetting this fact and they kept giving authority back to the old man and his devil. (Exo.15:2) The Lord is my strength and song, And he is become my salvation.... What does it symbolize when the horse is put to death? It means you're no longer counting on the flesh of the beast any longer; you're no longer trusting in his power. The Lord then becomes your strength and your salvation. The people who live in Egypt trust in the Egyptians for their salvation. They trust in the strength of the flesh to save them in any situation, which is the reason God wanted to bring these Israelites into the wilderness. He wanted them where they could no longer trust in the power of man, no longer trust in their old man, their flesh, to save them. (Exo.15:2) The Lord is my strength and song, And He is become my salvation: This is my God, and I will praise him; My father's God, and I will exalt him. Yes, we're going back to our “father's God”! Paul said, (1Co.4:15) For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. I'm talking about the apostolic fathers. We're going back to our fathers' God, not the god of apostate Christianity to which so many Christians are in bondage. We're going back to our fathers' God and we're going to trust in His salvation. You see, even after you've been baptized and you believe the Good News, the Gospel, that the old man is not a problem anymore because the Lord has already dealt with him, and you believe that sin's not a problem anymore because the Lord has already dealt with that, and you believe that sickness is not a problem because the Lord has already dealt with that, the enemy still comes after you. And sometimes you become convinced by him that he still has power over you. (Exo.15:9) The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. But God had another plan, didn't He? The Egyptians followed the righteous into the Red Sea and were destroyed. You see, the waters of God's Word are meant to fulfill what baptism gave us by faith as a type and shadow. The waters of God's Word will put to death your old man and take away his power. Whenever you remember what the Lord did for you and you celebrate the victory, you take away the power of the old man. Don't ever believe what your flesh is telling you. Don't believe it when the devil tells you through your flesh that he still has power. No! That old man's dead and he has no power anymore. Now the Lord is your Savior; continue to trust in Him. (2Co.5:17) Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. Old things have passed away and all things have become new; you're a new creature in Christ. Remember the Good News because, if you get talked out of the Good News, you'll make the same mistakes that the Israelites made in the wilderness. They wanted to go back to the power of Egypt because God brought them to places and positions where they knew they had no strength to save themselves. Do you know what happens when you get into a position like that? Your flesh cries out to go back to Egypt because its tired of the manna of the Word. It tells you to go back to the flesh pots, go back to a place where your flesh will be sure to be fed more flesh. Where you serve the flesh and don't have the fiery trial that makes you fit for the Kingdom. But the Lord is not going to let that happen, saints! He's not going to let us go back to Egypt. In these coming days, He's going to keep us in the wilderness until the old man's dead because the world will be a wilderness. Of course, at baptism, we know the old man's dead, but when you go past your baptism, you're going into the place where what you received by faith at baptism must now be manifested. And the way it's manifested is you let the water of the Word put to death the old man. You hold fast the confession of your hope that it waver not. (Heb.10:23) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised. You reckon the old man to be dead. He made you free from sin. Don't forget it. It says that twice in Romans 6: (Rom.6:11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. (17) But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; (18) and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness. Remember, this is the way we overcome sin; it's by faith. It's not by works, not by self efforts, not by our power. If you're trusting in your ability, you're going back to the old man, back to the horse and rider. Legalism does that; it causes you to go back to the self-righteousness of religion in Egypt, but God wouldn't let His people sacrifice in Egypt. (Exo.8:25) And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. (26) And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? When they sacrificed in Egypt, they sacrificed the abomination of the Egyptians. So God is going to keep His people in the wilderness until everything that needs to be burned up is burned up. This really is a joyful thing, because the people of God are once again going to walk in the steps of Jesus Christ. They're going to take up their cross and follow Him. Now, Miriam, the sister of Aaron and Moses, said, (Exo.15:21) Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously (This is a revelation of our victory that was given to us through Jesus Christ. He conquered the old man.); The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. (22) And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. Here's one of the first trials that God was going to use to put to death the old man and to cause them to learn to trust in the power of God. He was going to manifestly put to death what died symbolically at the Red Sea. You may have heard the saying, “Well, He got them out of Egypt but He had to get Egypt out of them,” and that's so true, isn't it? We come out of the world through faith in Jesus Christ but then God has to get the world out of us. You see, He wants us to walk totally in the Kingdom. (23) And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah (“Bitterness”). (24) And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? (25) And he cried unto the Lord; And the Lord showed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. I believe that this “tree” represents the cross, where God gave us new life. The old man died there, and Jesus Christ, the new man, was given to us. 2 Corinthians tells us the same parable but in a slightly different way. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. What happened at the cross, what happened at the Red Sea, what happened at our baptism, was that the old man died and the new man came to life, and that new man is Jesus Christ. He is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col.1:26) [Even] the mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to his saints, (27) to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (28) whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ. We are to believe that, (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that [life] which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, [the faith] which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. That's the Gospel. If you begin to confess that, you will see the power of Jesus Christ in you to overcome these things. We sometimes have a failure attitude, an attitude of unbelief, when it comes to trials and the ability of the Lord in us to overcome in our trials. It is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” We now have everything that He was. Well, when the Israelites came to their trial where they didn't have any water, God showed Moses a particular tree to cast into the waters and the waters were made sweet. In the wilderness, “water” represents life and we know from James that the sweet and the bitter “waters” are talking about the tongue. We've taught that part of the Gospel is “confession”; it's confessing what the Gospel says is ours. (Rom.10:10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Murmuring in the wilderness is the opposite of the sweet waters. (Jas.3:8) But the tongue can no man tame; [it is] a restless evil, [it is] full of deadly poison. (9) Therewith bless we the Lord and Father; and therewith curse we men, who are made after the likeness of God. This is not talking about speaking what the world calls “curses”; this is talking about speaking what the Bible calls “curses.” The Bible calls it a “curse” when you don't speak in agreement with what the Word says. The Lord told us in the last four verses of the Bible, (Rev.22:18) I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: (19) and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. If you add to His Words or take away from His Words, the curses of this Book are upon you, and He'll take away your part from the tree of life! We bring ourselves under a curse with our own mouth when we disagree with God's Word. We bring ourselves under a curse when we agree with the world and with the devil, and with what the old man says, but he's dead. He doesn't have a right to talk anymore. So we bring ourselves under a curse because we have disagreed with the Gospel. The Gospel is the Good News. (Rom.1:16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. The Gospel is the power of God to save the one who believes it, but we prove whether we believe it by our actions. When they went into the wilderness, the Israelites proved they didn't believe it by their actions, their complaining and murmuring. We need to pray what David said in (Psa.141:3) Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; Keep the door of my lips. He wanted to be careful about what came out of his mouth. We're also told, (Pro.18:21) Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. We need to agree with God; we need to be proven to be believers. We need to have the sweet waters that the cross has given to us, not the bitter waters that bring the curse. As he goes on to say here, the tongue is a restless evil, a deadly poison. (Jas.3:10) Out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. (11) Doth the fountain send forth from the same opening sweet [water] and bitter? (12) Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? Neither [can] salt water yield sweet. If we back up a little bit, in this same text, James talks about the great power of salvation that comes from the tongue. (Jas.3:2) For in many things we all stumble. If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man.... Mature people don't stumble in their words, and that's how you get to maturity. You don't agree with the world; you don't agree with the devil; you don't agree with the curse because Jesus bore the curse. You agree with what God said, and you agree with His promises. You “hold fast the confession of” your “hope that it waver not; for He is faithful that promised.” Anybody who doesn't do that will die in the wilderness. (Jas.3:2) For in many things we all stumble. If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. The sweet water of the tongue has the power to bridle the body, to bring it under control, to make it serve the Lord. The horse represents the very opposite. The horse represents bridling the flesh to serve the old man, bridling the beast to serve the old man. (3) Now if we put bridles into their mouths that they may obey us, we turn about their whole body also, (4) Behold, the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, are yet turned about by a very small rudder, whither the impulse of the steersman willeth. (5) So the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things.... In other words, the tongue can turn about your body; the tongue can bring repentance. People think repentance is crying to the Lord about their sins, but “repentance” just means “turning around and going the other way.” The Greek word for “repentance” is metanoeo and it means “to change your mind or purpose ... involving a change for the better.” The tongue is able to turn us around. When you change your mind and you speak in agreement with the Word, power is given to you. You already know we are justified through faith; we are counted righteous through faith. (Jas.2:18) Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith apart from [thy] works, and I by my works will show thee [my] faith. So when you speak in agreement with the Word by faith, you are justified. Also, (Rom.3:4) God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy words, And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment. If you want to be justified in your words when you come into judgment, let God be true and every man a liar. Now, why do we have to be justified? It's because without justification, you don't get grace, which means “favor.” If you want to be justified before God, if you want God's favor upon you, then say what God says. Don't say what the world says. If you will do that, you will find God's favor upon you. When the Israelites murmured in the wilderness, it was because they disagreed with God. Instead, they sided with the devil, and they sided with his son, which is the old man, the flesh. They didn't receive grace from God and they died in the wilderness. He goes on to say here, (Jas.3:5) So the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire! Your tongue can destroy you. Every time you open your mouth, you are speaking faith. Every time you open your mouth, you're showing that you believe in the devil and the curse by agreeing with them, or you're showing that you believe in God and the blessing He gave you at the cross by agreeing with Him. You're always speaking faith and showing what you believe; therefore, you're giving authority to someone every time you open your mouth. (Mat.18:18) Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. You're “binding” and “loosing” every time you open your mouth, without ever saying “I bind” or “I loose,” as some people like to do. When you agree with the devil, you're giving faith to him, and giving him power. When you agree with God, you give faith to Him and you give Him power. You ask, “How do I give God power?” Well, if you remember, Jesus went to His own hometown (Mat.13:58) And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. He was powerless and it was because of what they believed. Jesus said, (Mat.9:29) … According to your faith be it done unto you. And He told the centurion, (8:13) … Go thy way; as thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee.... You give power to God because God has given you authority to give Him power. He said, “What you bind on earth is bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth is loosed in heaven.” Now, of course, God always has power, but He's not going to use it for you if you're not justified, and you're not justified if you disagree with Him. You have to agree with Him; otherwise, you are destroying yourself. The lost people out there destroy themselves with their own words and actions; they have all the faith in the world, in the devil and in the curse, which Jesus bore. (Jas.3:6) And the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body.... The tongue defiles the body; did you know that? Jesus said, (Mar.7:14) … Hear me all of you, and understand: (15) there is nothing from without the man, that going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man. (16) If any man hath ears to hear, let him hear. (17) And when he was entered into the house from the multitude, his disciples asked of him the parable. (18) And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Perceive ye not, that whatsoever from without goeth into the man, it cannot defile him; (19) because it goeth not into his heart, but into his belly, and goeth out into the draught? [This he said,] making all meats clean. (20) And he said, That which proceedeth out of the man, that defileth the man. (21) For from within, out of the heart of men, evil thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, (22) covetings, wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness: (23) all these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man. There are a lot of people with religious spirits who are pretty legalistic about what they can eat and what they can't eat, but “This He said, making all meats clean.” That's the Word of the Lord, saints. He rebuked Peter about that: (Act.10:11) And he beholdeth the heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth: (12) wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts and creeping things of the earth and birds of the heaven. (13) And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat. (14) But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common and unclean. (15) And a voice [came] unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common. (16) And this was done thrice: and straightway the vessel was received up into heaven. The Lord told Peter, “What I've made clean, don't you make unclean,” so we can see that was also being used as a parable of the Gentiles that He'd made clean. (Act.10:28) … [Yet] unto me hath God showed that I should not call any man common or unclean: ... (35) but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him. (Jas.3:6) And the tongue is a fire; the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature (or, in other words, “cycle of life”).... How can your tongue set on fire the cycle of life? Well, the cycle of life is like sowing and reaping. What you sow, you later reap, then you take out of what you've reaped to sow again; it's a cycle. For instance, if you plant corn, after it's grown and you've harvested the corn, you save some of the corn so you can use it to plant the corn again. You sow, you reap. It's the exact same way with our nature. When you're filled with holiness, it comes out of your mouth, and what do you do? You reap what you've sown and then you sow it again. (Mat.12:35) The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. (36) And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. It's the same with the wicked tongue: you agree with the curse and you get the curse, so then you're living a cursed life, and what comes out of your mouth is more curses. And so what you receive back again is more of the curse, which is what you're sowing and reaping. (Jas.3:6) And the tongue is a fire; the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell. We have to learn to agree with God. When the Israelites went into the wilderness, their big mistake was that they agreed with the curse. They walked by what they saw, what they felt, and what they heard. They didn't walk by “thus saith the Lord,” and listen to me, this is a revelation for us. What we need to do from the time when we first enter into our wilderness is to walk by “thus saith the Lord.” We all need to learn to live supernaturally and there's only one way you can do that: you have to walk by “thus saith the Lord.” You have to accept and speak the Word. I'm reminded of Peter, when he stepped out of the boat: he lived supernaturally, and he stepped out on only one word. (Mat.14:28) And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee upon the waters. (29) And he said, Come. And Peter went down from the boat, and walked upon the waters to come to Jesus. (30) But when he saw the wind, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me. (31) And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and took hold of him, and saith unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Well, the Lord said “Come” and Peter stepped out of the boat, but when he got his eyes off of the Lord, when he got his eyes off the Word and onto the waves, he started sinking. When Peter started walking by sight in the desolation of the wilderness, so to speak, he started sinking. We have been given the power to walk supernaturally through faith in the Gospel and the Gospel needs to be coming out of our mouths in the situations where we don't have any strength to save ourselves. As God told Paul, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” When you have no way to save yourself, you will turn to the Lord. Everybody who is called of God, everybody who is the elect of God, turns to the Lord. That's why the wilderness is there; it's bringing us to the place where the horse and the rider no longer have power, and we need to remember that. We can live supernaturally. We can live above this world, even in a wilderness where there is no provision; we can live there by faith in the Word of God. The cross made sure of that for us, which is what Exodus 15:25 is saying. Moses cast the tree into the waters and the bitter waters became sweet. Do you know what happened at the cross? That old man died. The one who spoke the bitter waters died. The one who gave faith to the devil died. The one who brought the curse upon that life died. The cross crucified him and that old man is dead. (Rom.6:11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. If you will do this, you will be united with Christ in the likeness of His death, and if you will do this, you will be justified before God. He will give you His grace, His favor, and so you will be able to walk out that life in the wilderness. Returning to our text in (Exo.15:25) And he cried unto the Lord; And the Lord showed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made for them a statute (“law”) and an ordinance (“penalty for breaking the law”), and there he proved them; (26) and he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice.... We don't need to hear any other voice in this coming wilderness; we need to “hearken,” which means “hear and obey,” the voice of the Lord. If we will do that and not walk according to the ears of this world nor the sight of this world, if we let that voice be our voice, then we'll have this benefit. (26) And he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. Why did He make this promise to them at the very beginning of their wilderness? (1Co.10:11) Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. He made this promise at the very beginning of their wilderness because they are a type and a shadow for us. This promise is for us because we are about to go into a wilderness, and one of the judgments that is falling upon the world is that all of the diseases that man has made are spreading but so will be the cure. “He sent His Word and healed them.” Mass healings like the world has never seen will come to glorify God. I had a vision like that one time. In the vision, my wife and I were resting in lawn chairs in front of our house, and we were looking at this power line going from pole to pole across in  the front of the house. This power line was sagging in the middle until it almost touched the ground, and we were studying this sagging power line when suddenly a tornado came over the top of that power line and just picked us up and carried us away. And the Lord explained this little vision to me. He said, “That power line represents the power of man and the reason it was sagging and almost touching the ground is because it's coming to an end.” The power of man is coming to an end. And when the tornado came and picked us up, that represented the power of God, like that which carried away Elijah (2 Kings 2:11). Shortly after that we were moved to Pensacola, Florida from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and God paid the whole bill. Many miraculous things happened, including that He found us the very house He'd shown us in visions. He gave us the house, He gave us the new car; everything we'd asked for in faith, He did. The power of man came to an end, too, because it was nothing I did to bring it all to pass. God doesn't want to share His glory with the old man, with the flesh. While you're working, He's not. When you stop and believe, He will. God is not going to share His glory with the horse and rider; they have to die at the edge of the wilderness. Where we're going, saints, the works of the horse and rider won't save us. The Israelites lost faith in God walking by sight and they wanted to go back to Egypt. They wanted to go back to the salvation of the flesh pots, to trusting in the arm of the flesh, to trusting in man. That's not going to work for us anymore. It's not even going to work for the world, but it definitely won't work for us because God has called us to something higher. The truth is, this whole world is going to be polluted; this whole world is going to be poisoned. There are going to be both natural and weaponized diseases loosed on this world from God and man that are just beyond imagination, and yet we have a promise, right here at the beginning of the wilderness, that God won't put this upon us. “For I am the Lord that healeth thee.” He said He would put it upon the Egyptians and not upon us. The wicked will feel His wrath but we're supposed to walk by faith in this Good News; this Good News is the Gospel, and it's God's salvation to everyone who believes it. We've received revelations at UBM about the air and water being poisoned all throughout this land. Multitudes of people will die of manmade diseases, and we're already seeing it happen. A brother over on the East Coast was given a vision in which he saw biological weapons being smuggled into this country by terrorists who loosed them and killed 80 million people; he was a prophet, and he saw a vision of that happening. Truly saints, only faith in the Gospel is going to save you from the judgments that will be going across this land. The only thing that is going to save you is faith in the Gospel; no strength of man will do it. Nothing will keep us alive through this wilderness like lessons from Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:30, 26:65), who held fast to the confession of the Gospel of their time. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken, and everything that can be burned will burn. Something that's stuck with me for a long time is Dumitru Duduman's vision of seeing the earth catch on fire and God speaking to him, “Dumitru, quick! Get on the mountain or you will burn!” That mountain is Mount Zion. It's “the spirits of just men made perfect.” It's the only place that won't be shaken. Everything in this world will be shaken, but those who abide in God's Kingdom, through faith and through their confession, will be saved, and they will endure this wilderness. In fact, multitudes of them will endure until the end. They will live through everything that's coming upon this world because of their faith that Jesus has already borne this curse. God is going to deliver them. We need to get prepared and the way to do that is to put the “manna,” which is the Word of God, in our heart. That's the very next parable we see in Exodus. (Exo.16:4) Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or not. (31) And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Jesus is the bread that came down from Heaven to give life to the world. (Joh.6:51) I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world. But those Israelites said that they hated the manna and they called it “vile.” (Num.21:5) And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light (or “vile,” as the footnote says) bread. They didn't like the manna, they were tired of the manna, and many Christians today are just tired of the manna. They're tired of the Word. They'd rather go please themselves with the world, instead of preparing for the things that are coming upon the world, but life to God's people in the wilderness is the manna. Life to God's people in the wilderness is Jesus, Who was that manna and Who is the Word (John 1:14). God commanded those Israelites to partake of the manna for the whole time they were in the wilderness. (Exo.16:35) And the children of Israel did eat the manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat the manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. The manna supernaturally preserved them all the way through the wilderness until they came to the Promised Land. So when they became tired of the manna, they cried out for flesh and what did God do about it? He said, “Alright, I'll give you flesh. I'll give you flesh until it comes out of your nose.” What does “flesh” represent? It represents living after the lusts of the flesh. (Num.11:18) And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. (19) Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days, (20) but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have rejected the Lord who is among you.... That was the manna. They rejected the manna because they wanted to live after the flesh. God wanted to give them the Word, but they wanted the flesh and God brought judgment upon them. (33) While the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. (34) And the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah (“the graves of lust”), because there they buried the people that lusted. It pleased them to live after the lusts of their flesh, instead of partaking of the Word, which was life (John 6:63), and God gave them over to the lusts of their flesh. Multitudes of so-called “Christians” are going to go berserk in the coming times because they are crying out for something besides the Word of God, which God provided for them to preserve them through this wilderness. And while they are calling out for it, just as He did with the Israelites who lusted, God's going to be giving it to them. The whole world is going to be demon-possessed in the coming wilderness, saints. The only people who are going to be preserved are those who have eaten the bread of life, Jesus Christ. Do you know what it is to “eat” something? You chew it, you swallow it, you digest it and it becomes who you are. Some people study the Word and they talk about the Word in Church, but they don't walk according to the Word. They don't live it out. In the days to come, the lusts of the flesh are going to kill people. The only thing that's going to preserve us is to digest the Word of God. (Exo.15:26) And he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken (meaning “to hear and obey”) to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments (meaning “keep these commandments”), and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. Our God will give supernatural provision to His people to live through the wilderness, but remember what He told them in (Exo.16:4) ... I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or not. He was going to try them with a day's portion every day to prove them, to see whether they would keep His law or not.

In this message, Sam Kelly explains the universal guilt of all humanity before a holy God as revealed in Romans 2, highlighting that both blatantly sinful and morally upright individuals stand condemned without the gospel, and calls listeners to repentance by embracing the grace and righteousness offered through faith in Jesus Christ.

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. TranscriptGood morning. My name is Chet. I'm one of the pastors here. We are working our way through our membership commitment. In some ways, it's like if you went and saw a band and they only played their hits, they didn't replace the drummer and he got to write a song about his child and you have to listen to that. None of that, just only hits. That's kind of what we're doing with our membership commitment. It's like these are the straightforward, clear doctrines of the faith and how we're gonna practice them together as a church family. And we're just walking through that together, trying to see where this comes from in the Scriptures, how it applies to us, how we're gonna walk that out here and so glad that you're here this morning and we're getting to do this together. Today we are looking at the doctrine of salvation. So this is commitments five and six, and we are looking at what Christ has done for us in salvation. And I feel a little bit this morning that you get to talking to a grandmother and y'all remember that it doesn't happen like it used to, but they would pull out of their purse this little thing of their grandchildren, and each one of them precious and wonderful and worthy of explanation of who's playing the clarinet and who's pre law and who's just so wonderful and precious. They'd get that gleam in their eye and you're, I'm going to be here a while. Now they can do it on their phone. And it's infinite. I feel that this morning as we look into salvation and we look into this statement that's just each section just packed with beauty and wonder and glory. And so we're going to take this time this morning to study the Scriptures on who Jesus is and what he has done for us in the work of salvation, this act of God on our behalf. My hope is that we would delight in that and respond to that in worship and faith. So take a moment with me as we pray.As we begin. Lord, we are seeking to, through faith in the work of your spirit, to peer into things that are too wonderful for us. We ask that you would help us to delight in the wonder of salvation and the hope of your glory, and that you would help us to perceive it in our hearts how good and glorious you are and what you have accomplished for us in Christ in Jesus name, Amen.So commitment number five says Jesus is The Son of God who died in my place for my sin, securing for me God's grace and relationship with him forever. I have been saved by God's grace through faith in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. My salvation is not a result of any of my actions, good works or morals. There's a whole lot in there. We're going to walk through it. Commitment 6. I have been sealed by the Holy Spirit for salvation and empowered by him for mission and service. We're only going to look at the first half of that this morning. So we'll just look at I have been sealed by the Holy Spirit for salvation. We will look at the second half next week.Let's go to the beginning of this. Says Jesus is the Son of God who died in my place for my sin. Let's consider that first. When Gabriel comes to Joseph in Matthew chapter one, he says she will bear a son. He's declaring to him that Mary is pregnant, she's going to have a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.> She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21, ESV)So that's what we looked at last week, that we have sin, that we are a part of the rebellion, that Adam and Eve rebelled against God, they fell into sin, and that we've joined that rebellion, that we've participated in that, and Jesus expressly is coming to save his people from their sins. Or as Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 15:3.> For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, (1 Corinthians 15:3, ESV)Let me tell you, if you have approached Christianity and you have held something up as first importance, and it is not that, then you're confused about the message of Christianity. If you've come in with, well, let me understand this, or you talk to people sometimes and they're like, you're trying to talk to them about Christianity. I got a lot of questions about Noah's Ark. And it's like, hey, can I tell you, that's not the main point of Christianity. We can get there. But this is what Christianity has come to declare, that Christ died in accordance with the Scriptures, that this was prophesied and that he's come to save his people from their sin, that he died for our sins. That sin is a cancer that is killing us, and Christ comes as the physician to heal us. That sin is a prison that we are captured in, and that Christ is the one who opens the doors, lets the sun in, picks us up and carries us out. That he's the hero, the rescuer, the hope. That's the testimony of the scriptures. First John 4 says it this way.> In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10, ESV)So he displays his love for us in doing this. And he's the propitiation, which is a theologically dense term that means he absorbs wrath. That, as Paul says in Romans 1, that the wrath of God is put on display, that it's against all of the wickedness and unrighteousness of men. Or as he says in Romans 3, that we're storing up wrath for the day of wrath because of our lack of repentance, and that Christ comes as the propitiation for our sin, that he takes wrath, that he absorbs the wrath on our behalf. Tim Keller puts it in a really tangible way when he says that sin is like, if I come to your house and break a lamp. When you sin, a real thing happens. Something tangible happens in the world. He says that you can say, you owe me a lamp, or you can say, don't worry about it. But you saying don't worry about it doesn't fix the lamp. It just means you're going to pay for it. That's what Christ has done. When people say, well, why is it such a big deal? Why didn't he say don't? Why can't he just say don't worry about it? He gives us a way to say, don't worry about it, where he pays for it, where he comes and says, I'll cover the cost of your sin. I'll absorb the wrath. That's what propitiation is. And it's wonderful that when it says he died for our sins, it means that we really incurred debt that we have, debt that we owe, that we've caused, and he comes and pays for it.Or in Galatians 2:20, it says,> I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20, ESV)This is one of the reasons why it's personal in the way we have written it in our commitment, that he died in my place for my sin. That's the way Paul is saying it here, that he loved me and gave Himself for me. Yes, he loved the church and gave Himself for the church. He loved us and gave Himself for us. That he died for our sins, but he also died for my sin. That he also died for your sin. That he knows you, knows the cost and the debt of your sin, loves you and died for your sin. That if you are in Christ, that that is personal. That it's not something where you get brought into a big group and you just sneak in. I was at a South Carolina game and we were sitting near the little club thing and it started pouring rain. This wasn't yesterday, but it was a couple weeks ago and it just was pouring. We just charged into the covered area and there was no way for them to check everybody. We just snuck in. There's too many people coming, too much rain. You just were like, don't worry about me, I'm coming in. Some of us act like that's how you got into Christ, that you somehow snuck past and that he loves other people dearly and that he paid for their sin and that you somehow have just kind of gone in the back and stood in the corner and he's not really noticing you. But that's not the reality. He knows you personally, loves you dearly and personally and rescues you personally and pays for your sin personally. If you belong to Jesus, you belong to him and he knows you and cares for you. That's a reality of the salvation that we have in Christ. Do not let the enemy lie to you and say that you somehow got in on a technicality and that he loves the Church, but not really you, because that is not true. If you belong to Jesus, he knows and loves you dearly and has died for you, who loved me and gave Himself for me. That's the way Paul says it.So what happens when he does this? The next part of this is he's securing for me. He died for my sins, securing for me God's grace, relationship with him forever. We're going to consider God's grace that he brought us into it. We're going to consider that in a moment. But first we're going to look at this relationship with him forever. In our sin, we are alienated from God. This is the way Colossians 1:21–22 says it.> And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, (Colossians 1:21–22, ESV)Alienated means there's a gap. There's no relationship, it's broken. You don't belong to each other. The tie and the love and the relationship severed. This is where we are in our sin. That if you are standing in Adam, you are alienated from God and you're hostile to him. You're an enemy. That's the way Paul puts it in Romans 5. He says, we're enemies of God, but he says we're doing evil deeds. He says he has now reconciled, which means to bridge the gap and restore the relationship. So it's undoing alienation. He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him. The work of the Cross reconciles us to the Father. So you'll hear people say things like, sin separates us from God. And that's true if we exist in our sin. But if we exist in Christ, then we are reconciled and we are holy and blameless and above reproach before him through what he has done in his body of flesh by his death. So that you get moved to Christ, and then your sin does not separate you from God because he has done the work of reconciliation, that he's restored the relationship.Reading a book recently written by Lee Strobel, he was talking with someone about heaven, and they were discussing the concept of reconciliation between people in heaven, that those that we've had animosity towards, that as we are redeemed in Christ, we are brought back into relationship. Lee Strobel was talking about the fact that he was very rebellious as a teenager. His father was a believer, but that he had contributed so much to the deterioration of that relationship. His father, one time, exasperated in anger, looked at him before his senior prom and said, I don't have enough love for you to fill up my pinky finger. Lee Strobel said we never fixed that. We never reconciled. We never sorted that out. My father's past, and I believe he was a true believer. I think he's gone on to be with the Lord. He said, I've thought over and over again about how much my sin contributed to our relationship. I didn't have a chance to repent. I didn't have the chance to reconcile. They were discussing that when he enters eternity, that relationship will be restored, that there will be peace, that there'll be forgiveness, that there'll be joy, that they'll be brought back together. I was just overwhelmed by the thought of that and this, that we would be reconciled to God, that our hostility between him and us would be restored through the work of Christ, that we would belong, that when we showed up, there would be nothing between us that would make us want to hide or shrink back because of the work of Christ, that we would have all the freedom and all the joy and all the delight to run to him and not feel like that's odd. And that he would have the same relationship with us. It's beautiful that we've been reconciled and we have a relationship with him forever. We should be overwhelmed by that.It says this. I have been saved by God's grace through faith in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, that we are in Christ, that the gospel, the life, death and resurrection of Christ apply to us, and that we get to be brought into it, that we get to be saved through it. Let's consider the concept of grace. We've been saved by God's grace. Ephesians 2 says,> But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved, (Ephesians 2:4–5, 8 ESV)Let's follow the logic here. We're dead in our trespasses. So what did you bring? Trespasses. That's sin. You've crossed the line. You've trespassed. There was a thing that said, no trespassing, don't go here. And then you went there. Do y'all remember that, when y'all did that? Yeah, we've done that. We've trespassed. And what does that bring? Death. You've brought two things, death and trespass. That earned you death. But God loves us and is rich in mercy for those who have trespassed. He's made us alive together with Christ. When Christ rose, we get to be made alive with him. Then it says,> For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV)That does not tell us what grace is. It tells us that grace is wonderful. You read that and go, well, I'm so thankful for grace. Grace sounds great. If I told you the flux capacitor lets you time travel, you're like, wow, what's a flux capacitor? That's kind of what this is. Grace saved us. The salvation sounds wonderful, but what is grace? He says in verse eight, for by grace you have been saved through faith. This is not your own doing. It is the gift of God. So grace is a gift. Another way of putting this an acronym somebody told me one time, is God's riches at Christ's expense Grace, or God's righteousness at Christ's expense, meaning that he pays for it and then we receive it. But it's a gift. I had someone a week ago say, hey, I have a gift for you. You know what I said, whoa, thanks. Sweet. Sounds good. I love that sentence. It's one of my favorite sentences. You know what? I didn't say, hey, I have a gift for you. I didn't go, okay, tell me what I gotta do. They just said, quit being weird. Open it. I don't take it from my hand when I hand it to you. Do you not know what gifts are like? That's how grace works. We don't come in and go, okay, what do I have to do? How am I going to be saved? All right, no, it's a gift. This is received. This doesn't get better than that. There's something in us that wants to earn something, that wants to achieve something. What has happened is that Christ has gone to work on our behalf, and graciously, as a gift, hands out salvation to those who believe. That's what it says, that we come in by faith. Romans calls it a free gift. It says that we've been saved through faith.So let's consider faith. What is faith? If faith is what brings me into grace and grace is what gives me salvation, then I need to know what faith is. John 3:16 says,> For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, ESV)That's that relationship forever, that eternal life that we get brought into something that's going to last forever. That we're brought in by belief, that we're trusting in Jesus. Somebody asked Jesus in John chapter six. They said, what do I need to do? In John 6, Jesus answered them,> Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." (John 6:29, ESV)You want to do the work. You trust Jesus. You might be inclined to say, well, that doesn't sound like work. Yes, wonderful. It doesn't. It's surrender. It's anti-work. It's us putting down the tools and saying, I'm trusting in Jesus. My hope is in Him. It's not in me. Romans 4:24 says, he's talking about righteousness, which would be the right standing before God. It says,> but for us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, (Romans 4:24, ESV)who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. He goes to the cross for our trespasses, our sin, and then he's raised. Justification means that you stand in God's holy court made right. There is no claim that can be made against you because he's made us righteous. His righteousness is counted to us through the work of Christ, and we approach it through faith that we believe in Him.Trying to make this tangible. I want to talk to the elementary students in the room. But also at some point, all of us were elementary students, so you should be able to track. If you're in elementary school, you do not know how to drive a car. I know this because you live in South Carolina and most of the adults in South Carolina don't know how to drive a car. If you're in elementary school, you might be confident that you know how to drive a car, that you could do this or you've seen it and it seems pretty, but you don't. So you're dependent on the adults around you to get you places. There are a few simple rules for you. Get in the car, close the door, put a seatbelt on. That's it. Now one of the rules you have is see who's driving the car. Do you know this person? That's actually your biggest rule. Do I trust this person? You don't just get to hop in any car. If your parents haven't told you this, I'm telling you now. Don't just hop in any car. Someone who pulls up, kicks the door open and says, get in here. No, I don't know you. I don't trust you. I don't believe you'll take me where I need to go. Belief when we come to Christ is saying, this is the car and this is the driver that's going to get me where I need to go. One of the things we need to understand is that you have no other way of getting there. You don't know how to get there yourself. You actually can't get yourself there. What we're doing when we place faith in Jesus is saying, my hope is in him, and if he doesn't get me there, I won't get there. If he doesn't save, I won't be saved. If he doesn't have mercy, I won't receive mercy. If he doesn't have righteousness, I won't receive righteousness. If he doesn't give me his righteousness, I won't get it. If he doesn't do the work, I won't be able to participate in this because I have no means on my own. But I am putting all of my faith, all of my trust in him and I have no ability. I'm along for the rush. Faith is going to him and saying, Jesus, it's all on you. I believe that you have done what the Bible says you've done. I believe that you grant by faith to all those who will trust in you salvation and that none of us are put to shame. That's faith.My salvation is not a result of any of my actions, good works and morals. Faith, I said, is the opposite of a work. It's the undoing of work. It's surrendering. It's stopping. If I tell my kids to stop, they do it, but they do it by stopping, by not doing anything. That's somehow faith. Works is us surrendering our actions, good works and morals. Let me show you this. Ephesians 2 just told us we were dead in our trespasses, says in verse 8,> For by grace you have been saved through faith. This is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV)If you boast about a gift, you're boasting about the giver of the gift. If I see you with something nice and I say, wow, that's really nice, and you go, yeah, I'm not trying to brag, but I had a birthday. It's like, yeah, you shouldn't be trying to brag. That was terrible bragging. You didn't earn who gave it to you. You could say, but then it would be pointing to the person who gave the gift. There's no boasting for us in salvation because we didn't do anything. We haven't earned this. Romans 3:20 says,> For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20, ESV)This is very important. If you've come into your hope of salvation and you think it's about doing the stuff right, being good enough, following the rules, that's not how this works. We are not justified by the law. We don't have any work that we can do to show to the Lord. Romans 11:6 says,> But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. (Romans 11:6, ESV)If I said, I have a gift for you if you win it, well, it's not a gift, it's a prize. It's a trophy. You can now brag about it. I have a gift for you. Give me $500. We've exchanged something. There's some kind of contract. So if salvation has 10% you in it, well, then you get 10% of the glory. And when we sing, we should sing 10% of our songs to us. Every 10th stanza should be. Also we're great, but that's not how it works. Because work undoes grace, because grace is a gift. This is how it has to work. We can't save ourselves. If he doesn't do it, it doesn't happen. We're not able to earn this, we're not able to achieve it. It's not about you. Galatians 2:16 says,> Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:16, ESV)So if you say, well, I'm a good person, that'll count. No, God gave us standards to show we won't live up to them, and then to drive us to Christ, who fulfilled the law on our behalf and grants us his righteousness. If it had anything to do with works, then you would be owed credit and he would owe you some sort of something, and it would somehow, to some degree, be about you. That's not how it works. We receive it by grace to the praise of his glorious grace, and not to the praise of anything else.There's actually a way for you to use your good works to avoid Jesus. I'll be good enough so that he can't have a claim on me, so that he can't tell me what I'm supposed to do. He'll owe me. But that's not how it works. We come in and say, none of my actions, none of my good works, none of my morals have saved this for me. That's wonderful news because of what we see next, which is in Commitment 6. It says, I have been sealed by the Holy Spirit for salvation. If you didn't earn it, we also get to rejoice that we don't keep it. Let me show you where this is in the text. Ephesians 1:13 says,> In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, (Ephesians 1:13, ESV)When you entered Christ, when you placed your hope in him, you were locked up in Christ, you were sealed in your sin, and now you're sealed in Christ. You are held captive in sin, and now you're held in Christ. I want to read another place where he mentions that same letter to try to help you understand. What does that look like? Chapter 4, verse 30 says,> And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30, ESV)This sealing tells us two things. One is he's telling him not to sin, and he says, don't grieve the Holy Spirit by whom you were sealed. He doesn't say, if you sin, you'll lose the Holy Spirit. He just says, don't grieve him; he's with you and he'll mourn your sin. He doesn't like it, so don't walk in sin. You grieve the Spirit, but he doesn't say he'll leave you. You don't work your way into salvation, which means you can't sin your way out of it. We are called to continue to follow him in faith. We are called to obey. We're going to be there the whole time. But the Spirit's at work in us and we cannot fall out. We've been sealed for the day of redemption. This is why Hebrews calls Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith. This is why in Philippians it says he who began a good work in you will carry it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ. Christ is going to get you there because it's to the praise of his glorious work and grace on our behalf that he's rich in mercy, as Peter says it, that we're being guarded by God's power. You're not guarded by your power. You're not guarded by your strength. You're not guarded by your focus, love, energy. So often I get to go to the Lord and say, I'm so weak, I'm so distracted. I'm so small and I'm guarded by Him, I'm carried by Him. I'm like a toddler in a car seat in the back of the car. At no point did it suddenly become my responsibility. That's the salvation that we get to have in Christ. We don't have it in anyone or anything else. It's held for us in Christ. Accomplished by Christ, kept by Christ to the glory of Christ.Let's pray and then I'll tell us how we're going to respond. Father, we are thankful for this salvation. We're thankful for you loving us, for you being rich in mercy, for you bringing us from death to life, for you keeping us, for you qualifying us for you, holding us, for you welcoming us. Lord, may our hearts be able to taste that so that we might rejoice in some measure fitting to the glorious nature of this salvation. Lord, for anyone in this room who still stands in their sin, who still walks alienated and hostile, for anyone in this room who is trying to stand in their own morality, who is trying to, by works of the law, justify themselves. Oh Lord, may your spirit break in. May they hear the word of the gospel and may they believe. May you seal them for the day of redemption to the praise of your glorious grace in Jesus name, Amen.As a church, we study the Scriptures, we read the Word, and we respond. It's the way that God works on our behalf and then we respond to him. The way we're going to respond this morning is we're going to take communion as a church family. For those of you who are Christians and have placed faith in Christ, this is where we remember that on the night Jesus was betrayed, he took bread and he said, this is my body broken for you. And he took the cup and he said, this is the blood of my covenant poured out for you as a forgiveness of sins. When we take communion, we proclaim his death until he returns. We tangibly, physically remind ourselves that Christ did this for me and I am in him. I'll dip the bread, I'll hold it, juice will run on my fingers and I'll remember that Christ really tangibly actually came and died for me and that I get to partake, that he's in me, that he keeps me, that my hope is in Him. So take this morning and remind yourself that I was dead in my trespasses and sins. But he has grace. He's rich in mercy. My hope is in Him. Tell him once again, Lord, I need you. I need you to redeem me. I need you to keep me. I need you to save me. If you don't do it, it won't happen. But praise Christ that you came and that you died and that you redeemed.If you're in this room and you have not trusted in Jesus, in a moment when we begin to move around, I want you to get up, place your faith in Jesus. I want you to walk down and get on your knees and ask the Lord to save you. I want you to tangibly lock in that I am going to Christ and I am surrendering to Christ, that it is about him and him alone, that my hope is in him and him alone. If you're in elementary school, grab your parent's hand, walk with them. They'll come pray with you. If you have clarifying questions or you need help, I'll stand down here and talk with you as well. But I want you to move and go. Lord, I need the hope of salvation. I need the work of Christ. I don't want to trust myself. I want to surrender. Don't fight with the Spirit. If he's calling you, come because salvation is a gift to be received. Come and ask the Lord to heal you and to save you and to bring you life.Daniel's gonna come up, we're gonna play. We're gonna take communion as a church family. If you haven't trusted in Jesus, I invite you to come and to trust in Him. When you're ready, take communion.

September 28 2025 Sunday Your Words Matter / Week 34 / T. Stacy Hayes #findoutwhoyouare My Vision My vision is to teach the world Who They Are In Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior! To Teach them what the Bible says about them and who they have been made to be in the promises of God's Word. This changed my life years ago and completely transformed me from a person full of doubt, fear and unbelief to a strong confident Christian that knows I can do anything through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. And I'm determined to teach the world what God has taught and commissioned me to teach and that is His Word.  That commission takes me to jails and detention centers weekly along with other open doors at many churches and ministries that are wanting to teach these important truths to the world. My podcast goes out 6 days a week to help the people I am ministering to grow in the truths that God has taught me for many years now. This podcast is free to all that want to listen and grow strong in who God has made them to be in Christ Jesus their Lord and Savior. Isaiah 53:5  Healing… Matthew 18:19  Agree with God's Word… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Acts 10:34  God is no respecter of persons “but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14 KJV “But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”” John 4:14 NLT “But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life.” John 4:14 AMPC “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40 KJV “For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”” John 6:40 NLT “For this is My Father's will and His purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day.” John 6:40 AMPC “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 KJV “The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 NLT “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” John 10:10 AMPC “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” John 14:12 KJV ““I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” John 14:12 NLT “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.” John 14:12 AMPC “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” John 14:23 KJV “Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.” John 14:23 NLT “Jesus answered, If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him.” John 14:23 AMPC Romans 10:9-10  Salvation… Romans 10:17  Faith in God comes from hearing His Word… Matthew 11:28-30  Jesus'Yoke is Easy… John 3:16  God gave Jesus to pay for our Salvation… God Loves The abortion dr As Much As He Loves The Babies They Are Killing… Philippians 12:2  Work out your own Salvation… Romans 8:1  No condemnation in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior…  Luke Chapter 15 The Story Of The Prodigal Son… Philippians 4:19  God will supply all your needs let Him… Romans 4:20  Don't Stagger at What God Is Saying In His Word… John 15:5 We can't do anything aside from Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:17  We are new creatures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… 2 Corinthians 5:21  We are The Righteousness of God In Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Ephesians 2:8  We are Saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior… Believe God's Word Above All Opinions God Loves The abortion dr's As Much As He Loves The Babies They Are Killing… Mark 10:29-30  100 Fold Return… Share This Podcast On Your Social Media… Website https://the-prodigalson.com Email tstacyhayes@gmail.com  YouVersion Bible App https://my.bible.comi iOS App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prodigal-son/id1450529518?mt=8 …  Android App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.wizzard.android.prodical  Social Media https://www.facebook.com/The-Prodigal-SON-209069136315959/ https://www.facebook.com/noreligion1511/ https://twitter.com/noreligion1511 https://www.instagram.com/noreligion1511/ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPx4s1CLkSYef6mp4dSuU4w/featured

A fascinating weekly study of the Scriptures that brings to life the meaning of the biblical text using history, original languages, and Jewish culture. This podcast will strengthen your faith and your understanding of the Bible. Hosted by author, attorney, pastor, and founder of Covenant Journey, Mat Staver. Learn more and get involved at CovenantJourney.org

The sermon emphasizes the transformative power of forgiveness and love, rooted in the grace of God, as demonstrated through the examples of Paul, Zacchaeus, and Mary Magdalene. It calls listeners to extend immediate forgiveness, mirroring Christ's example, and to actively oppose sin with love and commitment, ultimately seeking a life dedicated to exalting Christ. Drawing from 1 John 4 and Romans 5, the message underscores God's unconditional love, offering eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ and urging listeners to embrace this gift and demonstrate their faith through a life of daily devotion and evangelism.

As Christ-followers, the Bible says we should put no confidence in the flesh. It's pretty undependable. But you can and should be totally God-confident. Confident that you have become a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ and confident that God has good plans for you—good works for you to do which he determined before you were born. There's nothing to be gained by being constrained and handcuffed by a lack of confidence. James put it this way: But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do (James 1:6 – 8). James says if you're blown and tossed—like happens with lack of confidence—you are unstable in all your ways. You need confidence to be what God created you to be and do the good works he put you here to do. And the confidence you need is not self-confidence, but rather it is God-confidence. What is hindering you from this God-confident life? Many times, it is the constant thought you simply are not good enough. Thoughts like: you've sinned too much; your past is too bad; you can never be worthy. You know where that comes from, don't you? Satan will tell you lies about yourself, like thinking you're not good enough. But remember this wonderful truth. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Whether condemnation is coming at you from others or yourself, you are believing a lie because God never deals with us through condemnation—making us feel unworthy and without hope. The Holy Spirit who indwells every believer will convict you of sin for the purpose of helping you repent and get rid of the drag on your spiritual life. But God never deals with you through condemnation; that's what the enemy tries to do. When the enemy is successful at destroying your God-confidence by his sneaky and sinister words of condemnation, he is keeping you from the joy of the Lord, which is your strength, and from the abundant life Jesus died to give you. You're missing all the good stuff! But there's hope in Jesus!

In the inaugural episode of the new UnPhiltered podcast, Phil shares deeply personal and emotional reflections on the assassination of prominent conservative and Christian figure, Charlie Kirk. Phil details the impact of Kirk's death, not only from a political perspective but more importantly through the loss of a powerful proclaimer of the gospel. He reflects on how Kirk's message of truth and faith in Jesus Christ was pivotal, especially for the younger generation. The episode also touches upon the wide-reaching effects of Kirk's death, including increased interest in Christianity and moments of profound spiritual awakening across the nation. Kirk's martyrdom will lead more individuals to finding Christ as their Lord.

HOLY REVOLUTION: The Charlie Kirk Effect (Ep. 481)This week we take you to one of the most consequential moments in modern American history — the Charlie Kirk memorial, a moment that felt like a modern-day “shot heard round the world.” I (Greg Schlueter) was there in Phoenix with 200,000, joined by more than 100 million streaming globally. Together, with John Sherman who was with me, we recount how epic this moment was: a spark, a flame, igniting revolution.From the stage came some of the most powerful leaders in the world, united in acknowledging the foundational necessity of faith in Jesus Christ — not as ornament, but as the center. The crescendo of it all: Erika Kirk's extraordinary witness, forgiving the man who killed her husband, and calling us to arms of love that alone can transform the world.John and I share our stories and experiences, and after John departed for another interview, Stephanie and I unpacked seven strong takeaways from the memorial — seven turning points to ensure this is not another fleeting moment, but the awakening of a people to the power of the Holy Spirit poured out, and the call to truly live it.Timely other Links:My Crisis Magazine article today: America at the Edge of Awakening: Faith, Disorder, and the Forgiveness That Could Save a RepublicIRLive last week: Seven Turning Points for AmericaWorship Song: Over the Storm (A Tribute to Charlie Kirk)My book, our present-day plight, predicting so much of all this nearly 2 years ago: The Magnificent Piglets of PigletsvilleThis is not a time to sit back. It is a call to rise, to live IT in our homes and families, and to bear witness to Christ in the storm.God is calling. His grace is waiting.

Can Christians and anxiety go hand in hand? The answer is a resounding yes. Christians and anxiety often go hand in hand. Not because of a lack of faith, but because we live in a broken world in which many things can impact mental, physical, and spiritual health. 400th Episode Friends, I cannot believe this is the 400th episode. When I set out to start the podcast five and a half years ago, I thought I'd share stories of women and men reinventing themselves as entrepreneurs and starting their second phase. My idea quickly morphed into something more. Not only did I want to inspire others to follow their values, visions, and passions and discover a purpose greater than themselves, but I also wanted to help guide them in this pursuit. Because so much of my focus was on building a business, naturally, the content we created became more about business growth advice and stories of success. We added small doses of faith, mental health, mindset, and wellness to round out the content. As I was thinking about what to do in celebration of this episode, because I think it is a big deal to make it this far, someone sent me an email. The email was in response to an email I sent about using journaling as a tool to navigate anxiety. It read: I don't get anxiety, period, if one is of faith in Jesus Christ! Goodbye. The old me would have quickly hit return and tried to convince him that having faith doesn't mean you will never have anxiety. But instead, I thought, 'No, he said goodbye, which made me chuckle; let him go.' People like him cannot be convinced, and it isn't my job to change his perspective. Instead, I decided to take advantage of his lack of understanding to create content that could help many. The combination of Christians and anxiety does not have to cause shame. A perspective like his can cause a person who loves Jesus to feel shame over experiencing anxiety. No one needs an additional reason to feel shame. Living life as a human can result in enough shame, especially when experiencing brain health challenges. I wonder, as I'm writing this, what your thoughts are? Can one be a Christian and have anxiety? My thoughts are that as humans, we are not perfect. We are subject to human dysfunctions mentally, physically, and spiritually. Christians get diabetes. They get cancer, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, and neurological diseases. And yes, Christians experience mental health challenges too. We are not divine; therefore, we can be afflicted by ailments, illnesses, and diseases. To judge a Christian because they have a disease or ailment is simply unkind and results in shame. The key, for Christians and everyone, is to lean into Christ and our faith to navigate anxiety. When we put all of our trust in earthly solutions, we risk idolatry and anxiety rising. Proverbs 17:3 reminds us, "The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tries hearts." As heat refines gold and silver, God purifies us through challenging experiences such as anxiety and emotional chaos in our lives and relationships. Having anxiety isn't a punishment. If we choose, we can use it as a way to grow closer to God and allow Him to sanctify and purify us. Read the full show notes and access all links. Download 15 Journaling Prompts and Scripture Verses Download the free eBook: Alleviate Anxiety by Developing Healthy Habits for a Healthy Mind.

Books of the Book: Week 2 - The Book of Jude ### Introduction This week's sermon delves into the **Book of Jude**, exploring its profound relevance for modern believers. Despite being one of the shortest books in the Bible, Jude's message is powerful and urgent, calling Christians to contend for their faith amidst ancient and contemporary challenges. ### The Importance of Scripture The sermon begins by emphasizing the foundational role of Scripture in the life of a believer. Echoing the words of Jesus, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God," and Paul in **2 Timothy 3:16**, which states, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." This underscores the necessity of engaging with all of God's word to be equipped for every good work. ### Understanding Jude Jude, Jesus's half-brother, addresses his letter to those who have come to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Despite his familial connection to Jesus, Jude identifies himself foremost as a servant of Christ, highlighting humility and obedience over personal prestige. The core of Jude's message is a call to "contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God's holy people" (**Jude 1:3**). This faith, established through Jesus' death on the cross, is unchanging and must be defended against distortion. ### The Threat of False Teachings Jude warns against individuals who have infiltrated the church, perverting the grace of God into a license for immorality and denying Jesus Christ as Lord (**Jude 1:4**). He references historical examples of rebellion against God, such as the Israelites who were delivered from Egypt but later judged for unbelief, the fallen angels, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (**Jude 1:5-7**). These false teachers are described as dangerous and destructive, akin to "clouds without rain" and "autumn trees without fruit" (**Jude 1:12-13**). They are accused of leading believers astray by promoting a message that cheapens grace and denies the call to righteousness. ### Call to Action Jude's letter is not just a warning but a call to action. Believers are urged to: - **Build themselves up in their most holy faith** - **Pray in the Holy Spirit** - **Keep themselves in God's love** - **Show mercy to those who doubt** - **Save others by snatching them from the fire** These actions are crucial for personal growth and maintaining the faith community's integrity. ### Conclusion The sermon concludes with a prayer for strength and wisdom to contend for the faith with mercy and love. It emphasizes the church's responsibility to uphold the truth of Scripture and to resist the divisive and destructive influences of false teachings. In a world where beliefs and morals are constantly challenged, Jude's message is a timeless reminder of the importance of standing firm in the faith "once for all delivered to the saints" (**Jude 1:3**). As believers, we are called to be pillars of truth, reflecting God's mercy and grace to a world in need of hope and salvation.

When a person becomes a Christian, there's a deep sense of relief; you're made right with God, forgiven of every sin, and promised heaven. That's absolutely amazing news for anyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ alone! But believing is just the beginning of God's plan for us. Too often people stop there, without realizing that God wants our believing to lead to becoming all He's designed us to be. In this series, From Believing to Becoming, we'll look at the simple yet life-changing practices that help us grow as followers of Jesus, guided by the Lakeshore purposes (5 G's) of Grace, Growth, Groups, Gifts, and Giving to God.

This speech outline for "Dreaming Reckless" challenges us to re-evaluate our dreams, moving beyond what we think is realistic to embrace the boundless vision God has for us. It explores how fear often leads us to shrink our aspirations, drawing parallels to biblical stories like the feeding of the five thousand, where Jesus demonstrated "immeasurably more" than what was asked or imagined. The outline emphasizes surrendering our imagination to the Holy Spirit and having the courage to ask for the impossible, ultimately inviting a bigger God into our dreams rather than limiting Him by our own means. It also delves into the importance of authenticity in faith, using the confrontation between Paul and Peter in Galatians to highlight that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not through works or people-pleasing. The core message encourages us to focus on Jesus and make it easy for others to receive Christ, tearing down walls of performance and judgment with reckless, boundary-breaking grace.

The conservative movement lost “the best of us" last week after Charlie Kirk was assassinated for his conservative values and martyred for his unyielding faith in Jesus Christ.    Steve Deace, a BlazeTV host, joined “The Signal Sitdown” where he responded to the death of his personal friend and Turning Point USA founder.    Because Charlie was such a bright light, “the enemy wanted to take him out,” Deace said.     To honor Charlie's memory, it's time for conservatives to “get more aggressive,” Deace continued.    “We need to mourn, and it's OK to mourn," he said. "Frankly, his legacy demands that we do. And then, when we're done, we clean off our faces, we wipe the last bit of tears from our eyes and snot from our nose, and we get up, and we get back on offense.”  Keep Up With The Daily Signal   Sign up for our email newsletters:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.dailysignal.com/email⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠     Subscribe to our other shows:    The Tony Kinnett Cast: ⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL2284199939⁠ The Signal Sitdown: ⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL2026390376⁠   Problematic Women:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL7765680741⁠   Victor Davis Hanson: ⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL9809784327⁠     Follow The Daily Signal:    X:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=DailySignal⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Truth Social:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://truthsocial.com/@DailySignal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1⁠    Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are you a Christian? Because it is the best explanation for the way things are! We must be confident that our faith in Jesus Christ is reasonable because he is who he said he was! God is in this story of ours - or is it we who choose to be in his story?

Nurses Out Loud with Kimberly Overton, BSN, RN – At just 20, Isabella Kakaty shares her miraculous journey from suffering with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome to complete healing through fasting, obedience, and faith in Jesus Christ. Her testimony shines as living proof that what seems impossible is possible with God, inspiring Gen Z with courage, authenticity, and the promise of revival stirring today...

Midweek Service: Salvation is not earned by our good works or right behavior but is a gift from God received through faith in Jesus Christ. While behavior does not determine salvation, genuine salvation produces transformation, freeing us from the power of sin and leading us into a new life of righteousness. True believers don't use grace as an excuse to keep sinning; rather, they live in a way that reflects their new identity in Christ. Persisting in a lifestyle of sin shows a lack of a genuine relationship with God, while practicing righteousness demonstrates the evidence of being children of God. Salvation is by grace through faith, but authentic faith results in a changed life that honors God. Partner with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com/partner Connect with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com                  

Nurses Out Loud with Kimberly Overton, BSN, RN – At just 20, Isabella Kakaty shares her miraculous journey from suffering with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome to complete healing through fasting, obedience, and faith in Jesus Christ. Her testimony shines as living proof that what seems impossible is possible with God, inspiring Gen Z with courage, authenticity, and the promise of revival stirring today...

Our guest today is Seattle Mariners catcher Harry Ford. Today on the podcast Harry Ford shares about his recent promotion to the Seattle Mariners MLB club, growing in his faith in Jesus Christ and serving others through his work with Water Mission. "Get in the Game" is part of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sports Spectrum Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Sign up for our Sports Spectrum Magazine and receive 15% off a 1-year subscription by using the code PODCAST15⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://SportsSpectrum.com/magazine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Do you know Christ personally? Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn how you can commit your life to Him.

After 25 years as an award-winning corporate advertising executive, Tom Peterson's life radically changed forever through a powerful conversion experience on a Catholic men's retreat. Soon afterward, he founded VirtueMedia and CatholicsComeHome.org. Catholics Come Home is a media apostolate that seeks to inspire, educate and evangelize inactive Catholics and others, inviting them to live a deeper faith in Jesus Christ, in accord with the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. On this week's episode, Tom joins Ralph to share about his journey of faith, his mission and ministry, and how God has been at work in marvelous ways to bring people back to the Church.

Join me in this tribute to Charlie Kirk. I reflect on his profound impact on a generation. Devastated by his tragic assassination, I share my personal thoughts about Charlie's unique ministry, his commitment to fostering dialogue, and his unwavering faith in Jesus Christ. I hope I can encourage you in some small way to carry forward his mission of faith and dialogue in the face of adversity. #CharlieKirk #Faith #FreeSpeech #Hope

Great minds have spent generations debating over the most effective ways to win hearts and minds to a cause, but all agree on one thing – if you reach the young, you will determine the course of a nation's future. Charlie Kirk knew this, and lived it.    Kirk's mission to reach young people may have stemmed from the fact that his own very public political activism began when he was only a teenager. But at a time when many conservatives wrote college campuses off as bastions of leftist ideology that were too far gone, Kirk made universities his mission field, and emboldened hundreds more young people to do the same.    Through Turning Point USA, Kirk reached millions of young people with a political, and faith filled message.    What made Kirk even more unique is that he did not go to college campuses to lecture students, but instead to have conversations - allowing students to ask him questions on politics and faith. It was at one of these very events at Utah Valley University where Kirk was assassinated Wednesday.    Articulate, charismatic, and inteligent, Kirk spent more than a decade empowering young people to think critically, embrace the values of conservatism, and find hope and joy in a deep faith in Jesus Christ.    Kirk spoke truth in boldness, and it cost him his life.    It is challenging not to feel that a line has been drawn in the sand. A good man, a father, a husband, a leader has died. Is this the cost of truth? For the majority of us, Lord willing, it won't be, but it does serve as a time for choosing.    On this week's edition of Problematic Women, Hannah Faulkner, a conservative commentator and author, and Problematic Women host Morgonn McMichael, a Turning Point USA contributor, join the show to discuss the choices we, the American people, face following Kirk's assassination.    Enjoy the show! Keep Up With The Daily Signal   Sign up for our email newsletters:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.dailysignal.com/email⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠     Subscribe to our other shows:    The Tony Kinnett Cast: ⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL2284199939⁠ The Signal Sitdown: ⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL2026390376⁠   Problematic Women:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL7765680741⁠   Victor Davis Hanson: ⁠https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL9809784327⁠     Follow The Daily Signal:    X:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=DailySignal⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Truth Social:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://truthsocial.com/@DailySignal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1⁠    Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Great minds have spent generations debating over the most effective ways to win hearts and minds to a cause, but all agree on one thing – if you reach the young, you will determine the course of a nation's future. Charlie Kirk knew this, and lived it.    Kirk's mission to reach young people may have stemmed from the fact that his own very public political activism began when he was only a teenager. But at a time when many conservatives wrote college campuses off as bastions of leftist ideology that were too far gone, Kirk made universities his mission field, and emboldened hundreds more young people to do the same.    Through Turning Point USA, Kirk reached millions of young people with a political, and faith filled message.    What made Kirk even more unique is that he did not go to college campuses to lecture students, but instead to have conversations - allowing students to ask him questions on politics and faith. It was at one of these very events at Utah Valley University where Kirk was assassinated Wednesday.    Articulate, charismatic, and inteligent, Kirk spent more than a decade empowering young people to think critically, embrace the values of conservatism, and find hope and joy in a deep faith in Jesus Christ.    Kirk spoke truth in boldness, and it cost him his life.    It is challenging not to feel that a line has been drawn in the sand. A good man, a father, a husband, a leader has died. Is this the cost of truth? For the majority of us, Lord willing, it won't be, but it does serve as a time for choosing.    On this week's edition of Problematic Women, Hannah Faulkner, a conservative commentator and author, and Problematic Women host Morgonn McMichael, a Turning Point USA contributor, join the show to discuss the choices we, the American people, face following Kirk's assassination.    Enjoy the show! Follow us on Instagram for EXCLUSIVE bonus content and the chance to be featured in our episodes: https://www.instagram.com/problematicwomen/   Connect with our hosts on socials!   Elise McCue X: https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=EliseMcCue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisemccueofficial/   Virginia Allen: X: https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=Virginia_Allen5 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virginiaallenofficial/   Morgonn McMichael: X: https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=morgonnm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgonnm/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlie Kirk was a remarkable young man whose life left a lasting imprint on our nation—and on the world. He began TPUSA at just the age of 18 and made a difference on many college campuses. He talked with students, gave speeches, and powerfully communicated through logic, clarity, courage, and peace. He was a patriot and American who loved his country. But first and foremost, Charlie Kirk was a Christian, devoted husband, and loving father. He was a bold voice for Jesus Christ. As painfully shocking as his loss is, we can take comfort in knowing that Charlie is now in Heaven. The moment he took his last breath here on earth, he took his first breath in the presence of the Lord. That is the hope we hold on to as believers—eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. In their most unimaginable time, please join me in praying for Charlie’s wife, Erika, and their two young children who won’t understand why their dad isn’t coming home. May the God of all comfort surround them with peace and strength.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reach Out: Please include your email and I will get back to you. Thanks!Good morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)YouTube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comColossians 1The Apostle Paul begins this powerful letter by expressing gratitude for the Colossians' faith in Jesus Christ and their love for all the saints, rooted in the hope of heaven as expressed in the gospel. He prays for their spiritual growth, urging them to live lives worthy of the Lord. The chapter highlights Christ as the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, and the head of the church. Through Him, all things were created and reconciled by His blood on the cross. Paul reminds them of their former alienation but celebrates their reconciliation through Jesus. He explains his role as a servant of the gospel, laboring to present everyone mature in the Lord, whose mystery has now been revealed: Christ in you, the hope of glory. As recipients of God's grace, we proclaim the greatness of Jesus and our calling to live in a way that honors Him. We have been rescued from darkness and brought into the kingdom of Christ, who is the image of the invisible God and the one through whom all things were created. Because of this, we live with gratitude and purpose. We do not walk aimlessly, but walk worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work. His power strengthens us, and we endure with patience and joy. We were once alienated, but now we are reconciled through Christ's sacrifice. We press on in faith, grounded and firm in the hope of the gospel, trusting in Christ's supremacy and love. Benevolent God, thank You for the hope of heaven made available to us through our Savior, Jesus Christ. Help us to increase in our faithfulness to You and our love for others as a demonstration of our gratitude. Challenge us to grow in knowledge concerning Your glory and the power of Jesus Christ in our lives. He is the means through which You rescued us, our Creator and Redeemer. May Jesus take first place in everything. We will continue in the faith and hope of the gospel and ask for boldness to share the completeness found in Christ with everyone we can. Thought Questions: Faith and love are inspired by hope in God. What is hope? What are the things you hope for in the Lord that keep you faithful to Him?  What are some amazing qualities of Jesus listed in this chapter? What does it look like for Him to take first place in everything in your life? How has Jesus “reconciled you in His fleshly body through death” (vs. 22)? What does He expect from you because of His sacrifice?